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Scandalous #3
Iubiri și scandaluri
Penelope Weston nu îl place deloc pe Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton. Poate că este moștenitorul fermecător și agreabil al unui conte și cel mai chipeș bărbat din lume, dar ea nu poate uita că acesta și-a abandonat prietenul la nevoie și nici că a curtat-o odinioară pe sora ei, Abigail. Este, de fapt, ultimul om de pe pământ cu care s-ar mărita vreodată. Ce bine ar fi dacă nu s-ar simți atât de atrasă de acest ticălos arogant!
Cândva, Benedict crezuse că se înțelegea destul de bine cu Penelope. Și, cu toate că acum ar avea nevoie de o mireasă bogată care să-l ajute să scape de controlul tiranicului său tată, cutezătoarea Penelope nu se potrivește cu idealul lui pentru o căsnicie-model… până când o faptă bună se termină prost, și zvonurile scandaloase leagă numele lui de cel al lui Penelope. Poate că ea nu este soția liniștită și rațională pe care credea că și-o dorește, dar este frumoasă, seducătoare… și mult mai pasională decât și-ar fi putut închipui vreodată. Oare o căsnicie care începe cu un scandal poate deveni și o poveste de dragoste adevărată?
Cândva, Benedict crezuse că se înțelegea destul de bine cu Penelope. Și, cu toate că acum ar avea nevoie de o mireasă bogată care să-l ajute să scape de controlul tiranicului său tată, cutezătoarea Penelope nu se potrivește cu idealul lui pentru o căsnicie-model… până când o faptă bună se termină prost, și zvonurile scandaloase leagă numele lui de cel al lui Penelope. Poate că ea nu este soția liniștită și rațională pe care credea că și-o dorește, dar este frumoasă, seducătoare… și mult mai pasională decât și-ar fi putut închipui vreodată. Oare o căsnicie care începe cu un scandal poate deveni și o poveste de dragoste adevărată?
290 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2015
95 people are currently reading
2113 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Linden
57 books1,701 followersCaroline Linden was born a reader, not a writer. She earned a degree in mathematics from Harvard University and worked as a programmer in the financial services industry before realizing writing fiction is much more exciting than writing code. Her books have won the NEC-RWA Readers' Choice Award, the JNRW Golden Leaf, the Daphne du Maurier Award, and RWA's RITA Award, and have been translated into seventeen languages around the world. She lives in New England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 289 reviews
August 9, 2018
Finally, an actual scandal! For a series that is all about scandals, they were pretty weak until this book. The first book just had a puffy dress as a scandal, the second one had an old scandal that was way before we ever came along, but this one delivered. Plus, there is more than one evil villain in the book. I mean, sure, they were both a little over the top, but fun! There was one point in which I actually gasped. Gasped! Me!
That's pretty unprecedented. I'm not a clutch-my-pearls girl at all.
My usual expression:
Eh, I've seen better.
So, our heroine and hero were both in the last book. She is the sister of the girl he proposed to and was rejected. So, now he wants her? yeah, that won't make holidays awkward.
Some guys look good enough to make us forgive many many things...
and apparently this is one of those guys. Plus, she ends up having to marry him because of a scandal, so.... at least he cute.
Even though it seems pretty cut-and-dry as a marriage of convenience that will turn into more, there is a LOT going on in this story and because of that, it was a page-turner. I was completely enthralled in the book, finished it, and looked up at the clock to see it was 5 am. That's pretty damn good. If you read the rest of the series, you need to keep going with this one. Aaannnd, the next one because one of the "scandalous" things is still unresolved. I need to get to it, and hopefully be done BEFORE sunrise this time.
That's pretty unprecedented. I'm not a clutch-my-pearls girl at all.
My usual expression:
Eh, I've seen better.
So, our heroine and hero were both in the last book. She is the sister of the girl he proposed to and was rejected. So, now he wants her? yeah, that won't make holidays awkward.
Some guys look good enough to make us forgive many many things...
and apparently this is one of those guys. Plus, she ends up having to marry him because of a scandal, so.... at least he cute.
Even though it seems pretty cut-and-dry as a marriage of convenience that will turn into more, there is a LOT going on in this story and because of that, it was a page-turner. I was completely enthralled in the book, finished it, and looked up at the clock to see it was 5 am. That's pretty damn good. If you read the rest of the series, you need to keep going with this one. Aaannnd, the next one because one of the "scandalous" things is still unresolved. I need to get to it, and hopefully be done BEFORE sunrise this time.
January 5, 2021
3.5 stars
This is a series that probably should be read in order. Events in the (presumably) prior books are referenced in this one, and while the author does summarize/spoil those books as needed, I think the early relationship between Penelope and Benedict is important back story that the reader misses out on by reading this book as a standalone. I, of course, only read this book so it probably impacted my enjoyment accordingly.
This was a decent enemies-to-lovers romance, but it did get a little over the top with the villainous characters.
This is a series that probably should be read in order. Events in the (presumably) prior books are referenced in this one, and while the author does summarize/spoil those books as needed, I think the early relationship between Penelope and Benedict is important back story that the reader misses out on by reading this book as a standalone. I, of course, only read this book so it probably impacted my enjoyment accordingly.
This was a decent enemies-to-lovers romance, but it did get a little over the top with the villainous characters.
October 17, 2025
This is the third full-length title in Caroline Linden's excellent Scandalous series, featuring secondary characters from the earlier books, but it works quite well as a standalone read.
Although Penelope Weston is an heiress with an immense dowry, she remains unwed after several seasons mixing with the ton. For one thing, she is not an aristocrat but simply the daughter of a successful attorney who made a fortune in the coal business. For another thing, she is far too spirited and outspoken to appeal to those young gentlemen who are looking for sweet, biddable wives. And now, Penelope is feeling rather lonely. Her best friend has married a rakish viscount (Love and Other Scandals), and her dear sister Abigail has recently wed Sebastian Vane, the Weston's neighbor in Richmond (It Takes a Scandal).
A sweet, biddable wife with a fortune is exactly what Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton, heir to the Earl of Stratford, is looking for. To that end, he courted Abigail (in the previous book) but lost her to his childhood best friend, Sebastian. It never occurred to him to court Penelope, as she was not at all the kind of lady he sought. Benedict is desperate for a wealthy wife, however, in order to escape from under the financial control of his abusive, sadistic father. Penelope took Benedict in dislike, convinced that he never loved her sister. Moreover, Penelope thought that Benedict was cruel to Sebastian and responsible, along with the earl, for Sebastian's loss of his property and for being accused of thievery.
Benedict is now courting Penelope's shy young friend, Frances Lockwood. When Frances asks Penelope whether she should accept the expected offer from Benedict, Penelope tells her to follow her own heart, with the result that Frances rejects Benedict. He is certain that Penelope had something to do with Miss Lockwood's sudden, bold demand to know whether he loved her and wanted to kiss her.
At a rout one evening, Penelope goes to the aid of her childhood friend, Olivia Townsend, a widow who earns her living as a lady's companion. Somehow, she has fallen under the power of the obnoxious Lord Clary, and Penelope finds him attacking Olivia as she begs him to stop. When Olivia flees the room, Clary turns his wrath on Penelope, but she has been trained by her brother in the ways to stop a man dead in his tracks with her knee between his thighs
.
Fortunately for Penelope, Benedict walks in and fights off the irate Clary. Despite their enmity, Benedict is nothing but kind and solicitous toward Penelope, examining her injured foot and helping restore her dress and hair to rights. As luck would have it, though, Frances Lockwood and her mother find the couple in this suggestive situation, and Mrs. Lockwood angrily accuses Penelope of merely pretending to be Frances's friend and scheming to get Benedict for herself.
Penelope is prepared to endure the gossip if Mrs. Lockwood spreads her story, but what develops is a vile, ugly rumor that Penelope is a loose woman who has consorted with many men. Benedict realizes that Lord Clary is getting his revenge, but the only way he can see to protect Penelope is to marry her, a prospect that Benedict is surprised to find somewhat appealing. Seeing no other choice, Penelope reluctantly agrees. Like Benedict, there is something appealing about this marriage idea.
It's great fun watching Benedict and Penelope figure out how they're going to go about building a marriage. One thing helps: they have sizzling chemistry between the sheets, something that rather surprises them both. Ms. Linden has written great banter between them, and even their arguments have a certain charm. The story is long on talk and short on action during the first half, but this is not a criticism. It was fascinating to "listen” to them get to know each other, and Ms. Linden has a real talent for writing engaging, believable dialogue.
The drama comes later in the book – from Benedict's horrible father, who makes it clear that he does not approve of their marriage. Benedict is finally free of the old man, however, and little by little he reveals the misery of his early years to Penelope, whose close, loving family stands in blunt contrast. Indeed, it's fairly difficult to figure out how Benedict became such a charming, honorable man, given his father's cruelty. I have to say that the earl is slightly over the top; the lengths he is willing to go are horrifying, and thus the book became a bit too melodramatic for me toward the end.
There is also a mystery involving Penelope's friend Olivia Townsend, who apparently is being blackmailed by the evil Lord Clary. This plot line is left unresolved a the end of the book, so I'm assuming that another volume in the series is planned. If so, I'll definitely be reading it.
February 24, 2023
No I’m so serious when I say FUCK this book
It just had like ten million little tropes or things that I hated which honestly is impressive bc I did think I could end up liking it despite them…at least at 30%. And then it just went so wrong. So I was already not having a great time when he made her have sex with him when she could barely stand bc she was drunk so yeah hate hate hate loathe enTIRELY. The hero is the worst thing since moldy sliced bread. Childish, selfish, and irredeemable.
The only good thing was Beverly A. Crick bc she’s one of my favorite narrators.
It just had like ten million little tropes or things that I hated which honestly is impressive bc I did think I could end up liking it despite them…at least at 30%. And then it just went so wrong. So I was already not having a great time when he made her have sex with him when she could barely stand bc she was drunk so yeah hate hate hate loathe enTIRELY. The hero is the worst thing since moldy sliced bread. Childish, selfish, and irredeemable.
The only good thing was Beverly A. Crick bc she’s one of my favorite narrators.
April 28, 2015
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Love in the Time of Scandal by Caroline Linden
Book Three of the Scandalous series
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***
Summary (from Goodreads):
Penelope Weston does not like Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton. He may be the suave and charming heir to an earl, as well as the most handsome man on earth, but she can't forget how he abandoned a friend in need—nor how he once courted her sister, Abigail. He's the last man she would ever marry. If only she didn't feel so attracted to the arrogant scoundrel...
Once upon a time, Benedict thought he and Penelope got along rather well. Though he needs a wealthy bride to escape his cruel father's control, spirited Penelope just doesn't suit his plans for a model marriage—until a good deed goes awry, and scandalous rumors link his name to Penelope's. She might not be the quiet, sensible wife he thought he wanted, but she is beautiful . . . beguiling . . . and far more passionate than he ever imagined. Can a marriage begun in scandal become a love match, too?
What I Liked:
Gosh this series is amazing. Quite possibly in my top five historical romance series of all time! I love Caroline Linden and her books - she's definitely on my "auto-read" list. I admit, I've only read this Scandalous series by her, but I've read all three books and I've given all three book very high praise. You know you love the series when you can't even decide which book is your favorite! All three got the same rating from me!
I admit, I was a bit surprised when I saw that this would be Penelope and Benedict's book. I can't remember specifically Benedict or Penelope in book one, Love and Other Scandals, but it's been a year and a half since I read the book - I remember the primary couple's story (Tristan and Joan), and I LOVED it. I do remember Penelope very well in It Takes a Scandal - she's Abigail's sister, and she encourages Abigail to read the 50 Ways to Sin pamphlets, and to go in the forest with Mr. Vane (I looooooove Sebastian Vane, let it be known). While I liked Penelope, I didn't like Benedict in book two (It Takes a Scandal)! Hence my surprise when I saw the synopsis of this book months ago. However, this book was magical, and Linden did an EXCELLENT job of changing my opinion of Benedict completely.
Benedict needs to marry an heiress or a noblewoman with a significant dowry. His father is a cruel, hard man, and he is very particular. Benedict wants the money to distance himself from his father and his tight rein of control. Benedict has his sights set on a young lady Frances, but then a huge scandal occurs, and he finds himself offering marriage to none other than Penelope Weston. Penelope has despised Benedict ever since he treated Sebastian (his former best friend) so poorly. But she needs him in order to avert the scandal, and the more she's around him, the more she's reminded of the Benedict she first met, before she found out about what he did to Sebastian (remember, that was all in book two, It Takes a Scandal).
The big scandal is quite heartbreaking, in my opinion. Penelope is unmarried, not promised to anyone, and is very spirited in nature... and so when she is found in a bit of a compromising situation, and Benedict happens to be there as well, rumors go around that Penelope is a whore and a girl with loose morals. This will destroy her marriage prospects, even if she has a huge dowry. Benedict offers to marry her... but we both know that Benedict didn't have to offer, and Penelope didn't have to accept. Fate has a way to pushing two people towards each other.
When they met, earlier in the series, they got along quite well. I believe it was in It Takes a Scandal - Benedict seemed very suited for Penelope, and vice versa. But then Benedict didn't defend Sebastian, and Penelope cannot forgive him for that. But back to their relationship. It's obvious that they enjoy each other's company, before. In this book, they appear to despise each other, but there's a lot of buried passion and emotion wrap up in that hostility.
I love both of these characters. Penelope is more than feisty and spirited - she speaks her mind and asks too many questions and often doesn't know when to stop. This definitely leads to trouble at times, but it's also a quality that Benedict finds he really likes. He thought he wanted someone like Abigail - sweet and respectful and thoughtful - but he slowly realizes that he wants someone passionate and quick-witted and fierce.
I like Benedict. I think I like Sebastian better, but I understand Benedict more. He certainly has his own charm, and while he has a dark attitude to him, I like him. It definitely helps to know his past, his current situation with his father, and the way he protects everyone, especially his sisters. He's like an antihero, now redeemed.
The romance is lovely! Benedict and Penelope need time to grow to love each other, and to trust each other. The chemistry, on the other hand, has never been misplaced. Penelope is very, um, curious about things, especially given those pamphlets she's been reading (sooo glad those pamphlets are a part of this series). And Benedict is, well, Benedict.
There is an interesting story to this one, besides the scandal. It's tied with the scandal, and isn't resolved in this book (not quite), which makes me think there will be at least one more companion novel in the series? Penelope is protecting someone, and the person gets away from the blackmailer, but we don't know where Penelope's friend disappears to, so I'm thinking there has to be a book about Penelope's friend. At least, I hope.
I'm really pleased with this novel! This book is a companion novel in this series - remember, this entire series is a companion series, and each novel can be read by itself. But you should read all of this series (if you're interested), because it's an excellent series!
What I Did Not Like:
I can't think of anything off the top of my head - except maybe that last part I mentioned. If there ARE NOT any more novels in this series, then I kind of wanted more of a concrete ending to that subplot involving Penelope's friend. If there ARE more novels in this series (one, or more), then never mind. The thing is, I don't know, so I don't necessarily want this to be a dislike or a deal-breaker.
Would I Recommend It:
I totally would recommend this book! And series! Again, it's a companion novel, part of a series that can be read in any order, or one by itself. However, you would benefit by reading all of the novels, in order, not just because the series is amazing (it is!), but also because information builds as the series goes. Like, with this novel - secondary characters become protagonists. Information from the last book is used in this novel - though Linden does refresh quite a bit from the last novel when necessary. So either way, you can read this book and be fine! But I'd recommend reading the other ones too. They are definitely worth the time (and money)!
Rating:
4 stars. An excellent addition to a wonderful series! I do hope there will be at least one more novel, featuring a certain character from this book - if only to know what happened to her after she fled! But also so she can get her own happy ending. I do love happy endings!
Love in the Time of Scandal by Caroline Linden
Book Three of the Scandalous series
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: May 26, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
***Warning: this is an adult book, and for the eyes of mature readers***
Summary (from Goodreads):
Penelope Weston does not like Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton. He may be the suave and charming heir to an earl, as well as the most handsome man on earth, but she can't forget how he abandoned a friend in need—nor how he once courted her sister, Abigail. He's the last man she would ever marry. If only she didn't feel so attracted to the arrogant scoundrel...
Once upon a time, Benedict thought he and Penelope got along rather well. Though he needs a wealthy bride to escape his cruel father's control, spirited Penelope just doesn't suit his plans for a model marriage—until a good deed goes awry, and scandalous rumors link his name to Penelope's. She might not be the quiet, sensible wife he thought he wanted, but she is beautiful . . . beguiling . . . and far more passionate than he ever imagined. Can a marriage begun in scandal become a love match, too?
What I Liked:
Gosh this series is amazing. Quite possibly in my top five historical romance series of all time! I love Caroline Linden and her books - she's definitely on my "auto-read" list. I admit, I've only read this Scandalous series by her, but I've read all three books and I've given all three book very high praise. You know you love the series when you can't even decide which book is your favorite! All three got the same rating from me!
I admit, I was a bit surprised when I saw that this would be Penelope and Benedict's book. I can't remember specifically Benedict or Penelope in book one, Love and Other Scandals, but it's been a year and a half since I read the book - I remember the primary couple's story (Tristan and Joan), and I LOVED it. I do remember Penelope very well in It Takes a Scandal - she's Abigail's sister, and she encourages Abigail to read the 50 Ways to Sin pamphlets, and to go in the forest with Mr. Vane (I looooooove Sebastian Vane, let it be known). While I liked Penelope, I didn't like Benedict in book two (It Takes a Scandal)! Hence my surprise when I saw the synopsis of this book months ago. However, this book was magical, and Linden did an EXCELLENT job of changing my opinion of Benedict completely.
Benedict needs to marry an heiress or a noblewoman with a significant dowry. His father is a cruel, hard man, and he is very particular. Benedict wants the money to distance himself from his father and his tight rein of control. Benedict has his sights set on a young lady Frances, but then a huge scandal occurs, and he finds himself offering marriage to none other than Penelope Weston. Penelope has despised Benedict ever since he treated Sebastian (his former best friend) so poorly. But she needs him in order to avert the scandal, and the more she's around him, the more she's reminded of the Benedict she first met, before she found out about what he did to Sebastian (remember, that was all in book two, It Takes a Scandal).
The big scandal is quite heartbreaking, in my opinion. Penelope is unmarried, not promised to anyone, and is very spirited in nature... and so when she is found in a bit of a compromising situation, and Benedict happens to be there as well, rumors go around that Penelope is a whore and a girl with loose morals. This will destroy her marriage prospects, even if she has a huge dowry. Benedict offers to marry her... but we both know that Benedict didn't have to offer, and Penelope didn't have to accept. Fate has a way to pushing two people towards each other.
When they met, earlier in the series, they got along quite well. I believe it was in It Takes a Scandal - Benedict seemed very suited for Penelope, and vice versa. But then Benedict didn't defend Sebastian, and Penelope cannot forgive him for that. But back to their relationship. It's obvious that they enjoy each other's company, before. In this book, they appear to despise each other, but there's a lot of buried passion and emotion wrap up in that hostility.
I love both of these characters. Penelope is more than feisty and spirited - she speaks her mind and asks too many questions and often doesn't know when to stop. This definitely leads to trouble at times, but it's also a quality that Benedict finds he really likes. He thought he wanted someone like Abigail - sweet and respectful and thoughtful - but he slowly realizes that he wants someone passionate and quick-witted and fierce.
I like Benedict. I think I like Sebastian better, but I understand Benedict more. He certainly has his own charm, and while he has a dark attitude to him, I like him. It definitely helps to know his past, his current situation with his father, and the way he protects everyone, especially his sisters. He's like an antihero, now redeemed.
The romance is lovely! Benedict and Penelope need time to grow to love each other, and to trust each other. The chemistry, on the other hand, has never been misplaced. Penelope is very, um, curious about things, especially given those pamphlets she's been reading (sooo glad those pamphlets are a part of this series). And Benedict is, well, Benedict.
There is an interesting story to this one, besides the scandal. It's tied with the scandal, and isn't resolved in this book (not quite), which makes me think there will be at least one more companion novel in the series? Penelope is protecting someone, and the person gets away from the blackmailer, but we don't know where Penelope's friend disappears to, so I'm thinking there has to be a book about Penelope's friend. At least, I hope.
I'm really pleased with this novel! This book is a companion novel in this series - remember, this entire series is a companion series, and each novel can be read by itself. But you should read all of this series (if you're interested), because it's an excellent series!
What I Did Not Like:
I can't think of anything off the top of my head - except maybe that last part I mentioned. If there ARE NOT any more novels in this series, then I kind of wanted more of a concrete ending to that subplot involving Penelope's friend. If there ARE more novels in this series (one, or more), then never mind. The thing is, I don't know, so I don't necessarily want this to be a dislike or a deal-breaker.
Would I Recommend It:
I totally would recommend this book! And series! Again, it's a companion novel, part of a series that can be read in any order, or one by itself. However, you would benefit by reading all of the novels, in order, not just because the series is amazing (it is!), but also because information builds as the series goes. Like, with this novel - secondary characters become protagonists. Information from the last book is used in this novel - though Linden does refresh quite a bit from the last novel when necessary. So either way, you can read this book and be fine! But I'd recommend reading the other ones too. They are definitely worth the time (and money)!
Rating:
4 stars. An excellent addition to a wonderful series! I do hope there will be at least one more novel, featuring a certain character from this book - if only to know what happened to her after she fled! But also so she can get her own happy ending. I do love happy endings!
December 9, 2022
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers
Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit. A lot of it is enemies/dislike banter if that’s your thing
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
It’s probably better to at least read book 2, It Takes a Scandal, prior to this one. That establishes Benedict’s character (our hero in this book) a bit and does have quite a few scenes with Penelope (our heroine in this book). There’s also some mention of events that have happened in that book.
Basic plot:
Penelope and Benedict have a one sided feud – Penelope cannot forgive Benedict’s life choices and attempts to keep her distance – but instead a scandal throws them together.
Give this a try if you want:
- late Regency (1822)
- mostly London setting
- unrequited love
- enemies to lovers
- ruined heroine
- hero and heroine do have a childhood connection
- hero was heroine’s sister’s former love interest (can’t recall if they went as far as to get engaged)
- class difference – heroine is an heiress, hero is a future Earl
- mix between relationship focus and villain action
- some light jealousy on the part of the hero
- medium steam (3 full scenes)
Ages:
- Hero is nearly 30 years old, didn’t catch the heroine’s age but would guess mid 20s
My thoughts:
Ohhh this book. I almost gave up on it. I did, in fact, for a week or so. I wasn’t a fan at all of the beginning set up. It felt heavily liked I was missing some things from book 2, even though I read it...I didn’t remember anything likable about Benedict. And in the first 30% or so, he wasn’t making a good case for himself as a hero. I set it aside and finished like 15 alien romance books instead. But then my ‘currently reading’ list was climbing and the end of the year was coming and I told myself to just finish it.
It’s quite rare for a book to turn around for me as much as this one did (or at all in fact.) But oh. This one just grabbed my heart fiercely. I was ready to push Benedict to my list of annoying heroes but then...he fell in love. And it was so strong for me. The emotional aspect for me after they were married was my romance catnip. There was so much longing between them and the way it culminated was perfection to me.
Benedict is a bit of a villain in book 2. We get some of his background for his behavior, but more of it is established here. I wasn’t sure how his turn around would be but I found it to be well done (for me). He has closed himself off due to his father’s abuse, but Penelope is a perfect balm for him.
Penelope has a bit of unrequited love for Benedict, but after his more recent behavior and his interest in her sister, she’s written him off as unforgivable. I enjoyed going through the journey of forgiving Benedict and trusting him with her heart. I liked Penelope’s heart and spunk – she is there for her friends when they need her, and doesn’t have a problem standing up to those that need to be.
This is one of those stories where I am so convinced of their HEA. Two people meant for each other and will work out. I am so glad I picked it up again. Book 1 is still currently my favorite but this is a close second.
Quotes/thoughts:
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit. A lot of it is enemies/dislike banter if that’s your thing
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
It’s probably better to at least read book 2, It Takes a Scandal, prior to this one. That establishes Benedict’s character (our hero in this book) a bit and does have quite a few scenes with Penelope (our heroine in this book). There’s also some mention of events that have happened in that book.
Basic plot:
Penelope and Benedict have a one sided feud – Penelope cannot forgive Benedict’s life choices and attempts to keep her distance – but instead a scandal throws them together.
Give this a try if you want:
- late Regency (1822)
- mostly London setting
- unrequited love
- enemies to lovers
- ruined heroine
- hero and heroine do have a childhood connection
- hero was heroine’s sister’s former love interest (can’t recall if they went as far as to get engaged)
- class difference – heroine is an heiress, hero is a future Earl
- mix between relationship focus and villain action
- some light jealousy on the part of the hero
- medium steam (3 full scenes)
Ages:
- Hero is nearly 30 years old, didn’t catch the heroine’s age but would guess mid 20s
My thoughts:
Ohhh this book. I almost gave up on it. I did, in fact, for a week or so. I wasn’t a fan at all of the beginning set up. It felt heavily liked I was missing some things from book 2, even though I read it...I didn’t remember anything likable about Benedict. And in the first 30% or so, he wasn’t making a good case for himself as a hero. I set it aside and finished like 15 alien romance books instead. But then my ‘currently reading’ list was climbing and the end of the year was coming and I told myself to just finish it.
It’s quite rare for a book to turn around for me as much as this one did (or at all in fact.) But oh. This one just grabbed my heart fiercely. I was ready to push Benedict to my list of annoying heroes but then...he fell in love. And it was so strong for me. The emotional aspect for me after they were married was my romance catnip. There was so much longing between them and the way it culminated was perfection to me.
Benedict is a bit of a villain in book 2. We get some of his background for his behavior, but more of it is established here. I wasn’t sure how his turn around would be but I found it to be well done (for me). He has closed himself off due to his father’s abuse, but Penelope is a perfect balm for him.
Penelope has a bit of unrequited love for Benedict, but after his more recent behavior and his interest in her sister, she’s written him off as unforgivable. I enjoyed going through the journey of forgiving Benedict and trusting him with her heart. I liked Penelope’s heart and spunk – she is there for her friends when they need her, and doesn’t have a problem standing up to those that need to be.
This is one of those stories where I am so convinced of their HEA. Two people meant for each other and will work out. I am so glad I picked it up again. Book 1 is still currently my favorite but this is a close second.
Quotes/thoughts:
Content warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
July 7, 2020
Oops..I accidentally read these books out of order, but that didn't ruin them. I think I enjoyed this one more because of it. It was as if I had some insider info on who the villain was and what he was in search of.
Great love story with a bit of action and drama! Also full of interesting characters. I really do hate it when characters don't trust their instincts, but if they did, things would be far lest interesting. The hero and heroine were a little too trusting for my taste.
Great love story with a bit of action and drama! Also full of interesting characters. I really do hate it when characters don't trust their instincts, but if they did, things would be far lest interesting. The hero and heroine were a little too trusting for my taste.
September 30, 2016
This is part of a series, and while Linden does excellent work filling in backstory, I still think it's beneficial to take these in order. I wasn't really looking forward to this one because I've never really liked Penelope very much. She's always been kind of brash and more than a little careless (which often leads her to getting caught and into scrapes in general). I also didn't expect to like Benedict much, though I had more sympathy for him. It was always pretty clear that his father was believably, actively evil (in the sense of viewing others as things for his own manipulation, including the routine application of pain to cower and bully his family) so I had much more sympathy for him than Penelope could manage. What surprised me is how much I ended up liking her and how much I enjoyed her striving to understand something she was fundamentally ill-equipped to comprehend. She just has no experience with the kind of man Ben's father is and thus has no way to gauge the effect that has had on Ben.
So I deeply enjoyed their exchanges, even as some of the events would worry me. Knowing how flawed Ben was and how important Pen is to his (oh, man, I just now realized that they're Pen and Ben) eventually overcoming the trauma of his childhood was deeply satisfying, even during relapses and misunderstandings. Linden had me absolutely convinced that each had their hearts in the right place and were striving to understand one another, even as they struggled to build a framework of communication. All of which is to say that they didn't so much fight as they engaged in spirited discussion that produced fruitful reconciliations. It was very well-done.
All of that said, the plot developments with Lord Clary were so very bad that they almost dragged this down a full star on their own. I kept expecting him to sprout a Snidely Whiplash moustache just so he could twirl it. I've never much warmed to Olivia Townsend, either, so I resented her catapulting Clary into Pen's orbit. I liked how their friendship modeled Pen's loyalty and devotion to friends and opened dialogue with Ben, but that doesn't mean I was thrilled with the trainwreck of the plot. I just knew that was going to come back and bite them and, sadly, wasn't disappointed. Add Ben's dad showing up and stirring trouble and you have a lot more melodrama than I appreciate. I almost imagined myself at the Desert Star Playhouse (a local theater that encourages audience participation and often has plots with actual Snidely Whiplashes), yelling !
So yeah, elements of the plot were comically melodramatic. Fortunately, Linden didn't use these as instances of Pen taking foolish risks or Ben not believing her. Indeed, Linden turned them to good use in the end and in important, relationship-building ways. And I do have to concede that the best way for Pen to understand the depth of Ben's trauma at his father's hands is to witness it first-hand. The resulting understanding and introspection made it worth recovering the rating, at least on a rounding-up basis.
A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes and they were good/long enough to edge this into the high side of the middle of my tolerance. I actually really appreciated how Linden used them as milestones in their relationship dynamic—mostly in the sense of sharing intimacy and fantasy and being appreciated for doing so. This was very well done and I really liked how it both built and illustrated the growth in their relationship.
So I deeply enjoyed their exchanges, even as some of the events would worry me. Knowing how flawed Ben was and how important Pen is to his (oh, man, I just now realized that they're Pen and Ben) eventually overcoming the trauma of his childhood was deeply satisfying, even during relapses and misunderstandings. Linden had me absolutely convinced that each had their hearts in the right place and were striving to understand one another, even as they struggled to build a framework of communication. All of which is to say that they didn't so much fight as they engaged in spirited discussion that produced fruitful reconciliations. It was very well-done.
All of that said, the plot developments with Lord Clary were so very bad that they almost dragged this down a full star on their own. I kept expecting him to sprout a Snidely Whiplash moustache just so he could twirl it. I've never much warmed to Olivia Townsend, either, so I resented her catapulting Clary into Pen's orbit. I liked how their friendship modeled Pen's loyalty and devotion to friends and opened dialogue with Ben, but that doesn't mean I was thrilled with the trainwreck of the plot. I just knew that was going to come back and bite them and, sadly, wasn't disappointed. Add Ben's dad showing up and stirring trouble and you have a lot more melodrama than I appreciate. I almost imagined myself at the Desert Star Playhouse (a local theater that encourages audience participation and often has plots with actual Snidely Whiplashes), yelling !
So yeah, elements of the plot were comically melodramatic. Fortunately, Linden didn't use these as instances of Pen taking foolish risks or Ben not believing her. Indeed, Linden turned them to good use in the end and in important, relationship-building ways. And I do have to concede that the best way for Pen to understand the depth of Ben's trauma at his father's hands is to witness it first-hand. The resulting understanding and introspection made it worth recovering the rating, at least on a rounding-up basis.
A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes and they were good/long enough to edge this into the high side of the middle of my tolerance. I actually really appreciated how Linden used them as milestones in their relationship dynamic—mostly in the sense of sharing intimacy and fantasy and being appreciated for doing so. This was very well done and I really liked how it both built and illustrated the growth in their relationship.
March 19, 2023
⭐⭐
2 stars.
➕ What I liked :
The heroes willingness to divulge his secrets and his past and communicate.
That the heroes passive behavior/bad behavior in the past and his background is correlated and this is shown/explained in this book.
The heroines sister.
The heroine is not oblivious about sex.
➖ What I disliked:
The chemistry and romantic build up was lacking.
Rather generic/formulaic character descriptions (appearance.)
That the hero is portrayed as weak or a coward but was mostly yielding and acquiescent to protect those who could not protect themselves (his mother and sisters)
The physical abuse and psychological abuse of the hero and the heroes mother and sisters is downplayed.
The heroes father.
Naive and impetuous heroine.
Unsympathetic and unempathetic heroine.
The sexual assault/attempted sexual assault on two different characters by the villain is more or less just glossed over.
The plot felt kind of discursive/disjointed and not just because it is a part of a series.
Immature and cantankerous heroine.
Annoying/unlikable heroine.
2 stars.
➕ What I liked :
The heroes willingness to divulge his secrets and his past and communicate.
That the heroes passive behavior/bad behavior in the past and his background is correlated and this is shown/explained in this book.
The heroines sister.
The heroine is not oblivious about sex.
➖ What I disliked:
The chemistry and romantic build up was lacking.
Rather generic/formulaic character descriptions (appearance.)
That the hero is portrayed as weak or a coward but was mostly yielding and acquiescent to protect those who could not protect themselves (his mother and sisters)
The physical abuse and psychological abuse of the hero and the heroes mother and sisters is downplayed.
The heroes father.
Naive and impetuous heroine.
Unsympathetic and unempathetic heroine.
The sexual assault/attempted sexual assault on two different characters by the villain is more or less just glossed over.
The plot felt kind of discursive/disjointed and not just because it is a part of a series.
Immature and cantankerous heroine.
Annoying/unlikable heroine.
May 5, 2022
CWs: past child & domestic abuse, attempted rape
January 10, 2016
Review-Love In The Time Of Scandal Summary
Penelope Weston, doesn’t care for Benedict too well, she doesn’t trust him, and still suffers hard feelings from the complicated situation that involved her sister. Penelope is back in London, for another season, and feeling more alone than ever. With her sister and her friend both happily married like doves, she doesn’t see the glamour in the balls or the soirees or the dances. One special evening, she has one friend left, a widow, a woman who is gentle and loving, but haunted. When she goes missing, Penelope goes in search of her, and finds herself in a dangerous situation, a situation, that she can’t save herself from, despite her efforts, and when Benedict strolls in and does save her, she knows that her life is about to change, even if she doesn’t want to admit it. Benedict has suffered under his fathers cruel hand for far too long, he needs to marry a woman with plenty of wealth, to escape his fathers decrees and wishes, and to find freedom for once in his life, and he knows he should settle for a woman who is calm and practical, not adventurous or wild and passionate…but when Penelope is put in a bad situation, and scandal erupts due to some cruel whims of a man who wants revenge, Benedict knows that he must marry her, because despite his best intentions he wants Penelope more than anyone else…and he means to keep her.
The Hero
Benedict ever since he can remember has been abused by his father, who set high standards for every one in the family. Benedict is the only son, his two sisters his father could care less about. But Benedict is his heir, and has high expectations for him, especially for the woman he should marry. Benedict wants to be free from his father, more than anything, he needs to find his own place. Benedict knows that he made mistakes, but he was also protecting those he care about. Benedict was a hero I came to really admire. In the previous books, I wasn’t sure about his character, but we a more personal side to him in this story. We see what kind of home he grew up in, and the type of abuse he had to suffer both physical and emotional, and we the later effects it has. What was most fun about Benedict was seeing him change, slowly, but he changed from a man wanting to stand up to his father….to actually doing it. He takes action when it matters most, and I admire his drive and his honor.
The Heroine
Penelope is missing her sister….she and Abigail have always been really close. But now that Abigail is married and away, Penelope is feeling lonely, and even though she still has a couple more friends in London, she is bored with the pomp and circumstance. Penelope is quite entertaining. She wants adventure, love and passion. She doesn’t want a normal Ton like life. She wants more…she wants what her friends Abigail and Joan have. She adores the scandalous manuscript of short stories “50 Ways To Sin”. What was most fun about Penelope is her taking action before thinking about it first. She is very impulsive and not too smart about it all the time…but she does it out of caring and love…and I did admire that aspect of her character. She is bold, daring and not afraid to stand up to anyone, especially those she doesn’t approve of. She is considered “wild” for a reason, but she has a way about her that speak “Free Spirit”. And Even though I thought that at times she could use a bit more discretion at times, most of the time I found her wonderfully entertaining and freeing.
Plot and Story Line
Love In The Time Of Scandal is the third book…and what a story. I could barely put this one down. I had so much fun with this story. From beginning to end I had such a jolly good time with everything about it…the plot, characters, conflicts and the setting. Caroline Linden is one of those authors I love reading when it comes to Regency romance. Of late I have become a bit bored with the genre, since its done so much but Linden makes her stories come alive for me. She brings sensuality and adventure to her stories…and this story was no different. It picks off from where the last book left off. It had been a while since I had read book 2….so I had to go back over my thoughts on that one…so I could remember the circumstances that makes Penelope despise Benedict. I would recommend at least reading book two before reading this one…you can read this story as a stand a lone but you will be a bit confused on why there is a bit of tension between Benedict and Penelope. What was the most fun about this story is the connection between these two. They both REALLY like each other, they are too proud and stubborn to admit it at first. Benedict is more quick to admitting it than Penelope….boy does she need some help. She doesn’t like to put her feet in when she doesn’t want to admit something…especially her feelings for a man she is supposed to hate but can’t. I loved the way these two interact with each other, the quirky bantering, the sensual embraces….sexy and hot enough to make me want to find my own man. And the conflicts…the biggest one is Benedict and his father. Wow his father is one piece of work…he certainly needs a lesson in humility. And there is another villain in the story too…but I have a feeling we won’t see the end of him and his drama until the next book….which should be fun Olivia and Penelope’s brother.
The Cover
Can I say gorgeous cover!!!! I mean it just might be my favorite one of the series. I love the pose…with the cream and red colors, and don’t ya love almost neck kisses….gives me those delicious spine shivers. And that hair on that fine male specimen…I know I know his body is pretty gorgeous…but hair like that you don’t see every day…just makes me want to run my fingers through it.
Overall View
Love In The Time Of Scandal is a wonderful addition to this Scandalous series that will set your heart racing, the pages flipping, and the blood pounding in your ears. A story that has a hint of danger, a heart wrenching scandal, some steamy action, and a even more powerful love story that sparkles and shines!! A DELECTABLE GEM!!
Penelope Weston, doesn’t care for Benedict too well, she doesn’t trust him, and still suffers hard feelings from the complicated situation that involved her sister. Penelope is back in London, for another season, and feeling more alone than ever. With her sister and her friend both happily married like doves, she doesn’t see the glamour in the balls or the soirees or the dances. One special evening, she has one friend left, a widow, a woman who is gentle and loving, but haunted. When she goes missing, Penelope goes in search of her, and finds herself in a dangerous situation, a situation, that she can’t save herself from, despite her efforts, and when Benedict strolls in and does save her, she knows that her life is about to change, even if she doesn’t want to admit it. Benedict has suffered under his fathers cruel hand for far too long, he needs to marry a woman with plenty of wealth, to escape his fathers decrees and wishes, and to find freedom for once in his life, and he knows he should settle for a woman who is calm and practical, not adventurous or wild and passionate…but when Penelope is put in a bad situation, and scandal erupts due to some cruel whims of a man who wants revenge, Benedict knows that he must marry her, because despite his best intentions he wants Penelope more than anyone else…and he means to keep her.
The Hero
Benedict ever since he can remember has been abused by his father, who set high standards for every one in the family. Benedict is the only son, his two sisters his father could care less about. But Benedict is his heir, and has high expectations for him, especially for the woman he should marry. Benedict wants to be free from his father, more than anything, he needs to find his own place. Benedict knows that he made mistakes, but he was also protecting those he care about. Benedict was a hero I came to really admire. In the previous books, I wasn’t sure about his character, but we a more personal side to him in this story. We see what kind of home he grew up in, and the type of abuse he had to suffer both physical and emotional, and we the later effects it has. What was most fun about Benedict was seeing him change, slowly, but he changed from a man wanting to stand up to his father….to actually doing it. He takes action when it matters most, and I admire his drive and his honor.
The Heroine
Penelope is missing her sister….she and Abigail have always been really close. But now that Abigail is married and away, Penelope is feeling lonely, and even though she still has a couple more friends in London, she is bored with the pomp and circumstance. Penelope is quite entertaining. She wants adventure, love and passion. She doesn’t want a normal Ton like life. She wants more…she wants what her friends Abigail and Joan have. She adores the scandalous manuscript of short stories “50 Ways To Sin”. What was most fun about Penelope is her taking action before thinking about it first. She is very impulsive and not too smart about it all the time…but she does it out of caring and love…and I did admire that aspect of her character. She is bold, daring and not afraid to stand up to anyone, especially those she doesn’t approve of. She is considered “wild” for a reason, but she has a way about her that speak “Free Spirit”. And Even though I thought that at times she could use a bit more discretion at times, most of the time I found her wonderfully entertaining and freeing.
Plot and Story Line
Love In The Time Of Scandal is the third book…and what a story. I could barely put this one down. I had so much fun with this story. From beginning to end I had such a jolly good time with everything about it…the plot, characters, conflicts and the setting. Caroline Linden is one of those authors I love reading when it comes to Regency romance. Of late I have become a bit bored with the genre, since its done so much but Linden makes her stories come alive for me. She brings sensuality and adventure to her stories…and this story was no different. It picks off from where the last book left off. It had been a while since I had read book 2….so I had to go back over my thoughts on that one…so I could remember the circumstances that makes Penelope despise Benedict. I would recommend at least reading book two before reading this one…you can read this story as a stand a lone but you will be a bit confused on why there is a bit of tension between Benedict and Penelope. What was the most fun about this story is the connection between these two. They both REALLY like each other, they are too proud and stubborn to admit it at first. Benedict is more quick to admitting it than Penelope….boy does she need some help. She doesn’t like to put her feet in when she doesn’t want to admit something…especially her feelings for a man she is supposed to hate but can’t. I loved the way these two interact with each other, the quirky bantering, the sensual embraces….sexy and hot enough to make me want to find my own man. And the conflicts…the biggest one is Benedict and his father. Wow his father is one piece of work…he certainly needs a lesson in humility. And there is another villain in the story too…but I have a feeling we won’t see the end of him and his drama until the next book….which should be fun Olivia and Penelope’s brother.
The Cover
Can I say gorgeous cover!!!! I mean it just might be my favorite one of the series. I love the pose…with the cream and red colors, and don’t ya love almost neck kisses….gives me those delicious spine shivers. And that hair on that fine male specimen…I know I know his body is pretty gorgeous…but hair like that you don’t see every day…just makes me want to run my fingers through it.
Overall View
Love In The Time Of Scandal is a wonderful addition to this Scandalous series that will set your heart racing, the pages flipping, and the blood pounding in your ears. A story that has a hint of danger, a heart wrenching scandal, some steamy action, and a even more powerful love story that sparkles and shines!! A DELECTABLE GEM!!
March 2, 2021
Okay, this was GREAT. It was a hate-ish to love story, where the "hate" made sense to me. Basically, she (justifiably) doesn't like some of his actions and he doesn't really want a wife he's actually that into it.
But they're both always attracted to each other and mostly admit to themselves. Thrown together because of scandal and decide to make a good go of it from the start. And I don't know! There wasn't much in the way of outside conflict . . . or, rather, the outside conflict isn't really a threat to their relationship. When I'd gotten to 75%, I was all braced for some ridiculous drama at the end, but it was all fine! (Okay, fine, there was and all, but it happens! In romance novels.)
It was a simple love story in a lot of ways, which I LIKE. More of those, please!
I think the last story will be Olivia/Jamie, which yes please! I might go ahead and buy it, if I like the description.
So, two Caroline Linden books I loved, two (plus a novella) I thought were just okay. That's not such a bad balance. Must read more.
Re-read March 2016
Still awesome! And the next story IS Olivia/Jamie! I actually don't love the description, but I pre-ordered anyway.
Re-Read February 2021
A nice re-read!
But they're both always attracted to each other and mostly admit to themselves. Thrown together because of scandal and decide to make a good go of it from the start. And I don't know! There wasn't much in the way of outside conflict . . . or, rather, the outside conflict isn't really a threat to their relationship. When I'd gotten to 75%, I was all braced for some ridiculous drama at the end, but it was all fine! (Okay, fine, there was and all, but it happens! In romance novels.)
It was a simple love story in a lot of ways, which I LIKE. More of those, please!
I think the last story will be Olivia/Jamie, which yes please! I might go ahead and buy it, if I like the description.
So, two Caroline Linden books I loved, two (plus a novella) I thought were just okay. That's not such a bad balance. Must read more.
Re-read March 2016
Still awesome! And the next story IS Olivia/Jamie! I actually don't love the description, but I pre-ordered anyway.
Re-Read February 2021
A nice re-read!
June 5, 2022
2.5
It was okay. Probably best to read the previous book since this book does make references to past events and spoils the ending for that book. This book sets up the next book, which is probably why I didn’t enjoy it as much. I don't know how I feel about Penelope's loyalty to her friend, Olivia. It took too long for her to realize that her safety is just as important as Olivia's and should have let her husband and family know about Olivia from the beginning. The H/h have a few passionate intimate scenes together, thanks to some of the pamphlets written by Lady Constance, 50 Ways to Sin.
It was okay. Probably best to read the previous book since this book does make references to past events and spoils the ending for that book. This book sets up the next book, which is probably why I didn’t enjoy it as much. I don't know how I feel about Penelope's loyalty to her friend, Olivia. It took too long for her to realize that her safety is just as important as Olivia's and should have let her husband and family know about Olivia from the beginning. The H/h have a few passionate intimate scenes together, thanks to some of the pamphlets written by Lady Constance, 50 Ways to Sin.
July 11, 2024
Review from 2016
A- for content; B+ for narration - 4.5 stars.
Caroline Linden’s Scandalous series has been one of the most consistently enjoyable sets of historical romances to appear over the last few years, and I’ve read and enjoyed all the full-length books and novellas that make it up. The first two books – Love and Other Scandals and It Takes a Scandal - have been available in audio format for a while, and now, the last two books are being released, but with a different narrator. Listeners are frequently frustrated when narrators are changed part-way through a series, but here, I think it’s a good switch , as Beverley A. Crick is making herself a place on my “narrators to trust” shelf and in spite of a few reservations, I enjoyed her performance.
We met the hero and heroine of Love in the Time of Scandal in the previous book, which saw Benedict Lennox, Viscount Atherton and heir to the Earl of Stratford courting Penelope Weston’s sister, Abigail, in spite of the fact that Abigail had already fallen for Benedict’s former best friend. With Abigail now happily married, Penelope is feeling a little adrift; the Westons are nouveau riche, and while Penelope is lovely and has a large dowry, the fact that her father works for a living means that the highest sticklers in society will not accept her, and that most of the young men who would court her are only after her money. Penelope is pleased when she strikes up a friendship with seventeen year-old Frances Lockwood, a young woman who clearly looks up to Penelope and values her advice, especially when it comes to men, and how to spot a fortune hunter.
When Frances, starry-eyed, tells Penelope that she thinks she’s found “the one”, a gorgeous, charming viscount in the King’s Life Guards, her friend is at first delighted for her – until she realises that this paragon is none other than Benedict Lennox, the young man for whom she had nursed a tendre a year earlier, even though he was trying to court her sister at the time. Penelope now dislikes Atherton intensely, not only because he had pursued Abigail knowing she was in love with someone else, but also because he had stood quietly by while his closest friend was accused of theft and murder.
Even though Benedict had been somewhat smitten with Penelope, he decided that Abigail’s even temper and her quiet nature made her ideal wife material and thus courted her instead. Thanks to an extremely trying relationship with his dictatorial, unforgiving father, his life is difficult enough, and the last thing he needed was a sharp-tongued, passionate and impulsive wife to complicate things still further. A year later, he is still affected by Penelope’s beauty and attracted to her quick wit, but continues adamant in the belief that he wants a nice, quiet, biddable wife and not one who will challenge him at every turn.
Events take that decision out of his hands, however, when, in order to help preserve Penelope’s reputation from being destroyed by some truly unpleasant and false rumours, he steps in and offers to marry her. At first, Penelope refuses, convinced that she will be able to weather the storm, but it soon becomes clear that will not be possible. She has no alternative but to accept Benedict’s proposal, but oh, how she wishes he was making it because he truly wanted her and not because he was riding to her rescue.
I do love a good enemies-to-lovers story, and this is an extremely good one. The sparks that fly between Penelope and Benedict are palpable, and they are both attractive, well-rounded characters with flaws that make them seem that bit more real. Thanks to Penelope’s reading of the popular and scandalous Fifty Ways to Sin pamphlets, she is more clued up about bedroom matters than most young ladies of her ilk, and I liked that she isn’t afraid to ask for what she wants in bed (on the sofa, against the wall…) – something which delights her new husband, who is only too happy to indulge his bride’s naughtiest whims.
Naturally, when a couple who hardly know one another make a hasty marriage there are bound to be false-starts and misunderstandings, and while Benedict and Penelope set the sheets alight in bed, out of it, they find it difficult to adjust. Penelope is keeping a secret – to which the listener is privy – in order to help a friend, and Benedict is very close-lipped about his family, something which is not surprising considering that his father is a cruel despot who isn’t above threatening Benedict’s mother and sisters in order to keep his heir toeing the line. Fortunately, however, Ms Linden doesn’t stray into Big Misunderstanding territory, and the picture she paints of two people who can’t quite manage to connect properly is a realistic and, at times, poignant one.
Beverley A. Crick narrates both this, and the following and final book in the series (which will be released shortly), and she gives another accomplished and enjoyable performance. Her pacing is excellent in both narrative and dialogue and I really can’t fault her acting choices. I’ve said before that she’s a narrator who acts; laughs, giggles and sighs are incorporated into the characters’ dialogue where indicated, and this is something I particularly enjoy and actually look forward to about her narrations. I know that for some, however, that might sound off-putting, but what she does is not obtrusive or over the top – we’re not in “he laughed, ha, ha!” territory – and I’d definitely encourage anyone on the fence to give her a try. My only real criticism is that her range isn’t particularly large pitch-wise, so if there are more than a couple of male characters of similar age and station in a scene, it isn’t always easy to tell the difference between them. She does, however, differentiate well by means of accent and tone, and does a very good job here in establishing different personas for Penelope, Abigail and their friend Olivia (heroine of the next book) and in distinguishing them from the other ladies who appear in the story.
Caroline Linden is one of my favourite authors and I really hope that more of her books find their way into audio. She writes with a great deal of intelligence and wit, the romance is fully developed and the love scenes are nice and steamy, making Love in the Time of Scandal an absolute treat for anyone who enjoys a well-written historical with a wonderfully sensual love/hate relationship at its heart.
A- for content; B+ for narration - 4.5 stars.
Caroline Linden’s Scandalous series has been one of the most consistently enjoyable sets of historical romances to appear over the last few years, and I’ve read and enjoyed all the full-length books and novellas that make it up. The first two books – Love and Other Scandals and It Takes a Scandal - have been available in audio format for a while, and now, the last two books are being released, but with a different narrator. Listeners are frequently frustrated when narrators are changed part-way through a series, but here, I think it’s a good switch , as Beverley A. Crick is making herself a place on my “narrators to trust” shelf and in spite of a few reservations, I enjoyed her performance.
We met the hero and heroine of Love in the Time of Scandal in the previous book, which saw Benedict Lennox, Viscount Atherton and heir to the Earl of Stratford courting Penelope Weston’s sister, Abigail, in spite of the fact that Abigail had already fallen for Benedict’s former best friend. With Abigail now happily married, Penelope is feeling a little adrift; the Westons are nouveau riche, and while Penelope is lovely and has a large dowry, the fact that her father works for a living means that the highest sticklers in society will not accept her, and that most of the young men who would court her are only after her money. Penelope is pleased when she strikes up a friendship with seventeen year-old Frances Lockwood, a young woman who clearly looks up to Penelope and values her advice, especially when it comes to men, and how to spot a fortune hunter.
When Frances, starry-eyed, tells Penelope that she thinks she’s found “the one”, a gorgeous, charming viscount in the King’s Life Guards, her friend is at first delighted for her – until she realises that this paragon is none other than Benedict Lennox, the young man for whom she had nursed a tendre a year earlier, even though he was trying to court her sister at the time. Penelope now dislikes Atherton intensely, not only because he had pursued Abigail knowing she was in love with someone else, but also because he had stood quietly by while his closest friend was accused of theft and murder.
Even though Benedict had been somewhat smitten with Penelope, he decided that Abigail’s even temper and her quiet nature made her ideal wife material and thus courted her instead. Thanks to an extremely trying relationship with his dictatorial, unforgiving father, his life is difficult enough, and the last thing he needed was a sharp-tongued, passionate and impulsive wife to complicate things still further. A year later, he is still affected by Penelope’s beauty and attracted to her quick wit, but continues adamant in the belief that he wants a nice, quiet, biddable wife and not one who will challenge him at every turn.
Events take that decision out of his hands, however, when, in order to help preserve Penelope’s reputation from being destroyed by some truly unpleasant and false rumours, he steps in and offers to marry her. At first, Penelope refuses, convinced that she will be able to weather the storm, but it soon becomes clear that will not be possible. She has no alternative but to accept Benedict’s proposal, but oh, how she wishes he was making it because he truly wanted her and not because he was riding to her rescue.
I do love a good enemies-to-lovers story, and this is an extremely good one. The sparks that fly between Penelope and Benedict are palpable, and they are both attractive, well-rounded characters with flaws that make them seem that bit more real. Thanks to Penelope’s reading of the popular and scandalous Fifty Ways to Sin pamphlets, she is more clued up about bedroom matters than most young ladies of her ilk, and I liked that she isn’t afraid to ask for what she wants in bed (on the sofa, against the wall…) – something which delights her new husband, who is only too happy to indulge his bride’s naughtiest whims.
Naturally, when a couple who hardly know one another make a hasty marriage there are bound to be false-starts and misunderstandings, and while Benedict and Penelope set the sheets alight in bed, out of it, they find it difficult to adjust. Penelope is keeping a secret – to which the listener is privy – in order to help a friend, and Benedict is very close-lipped about his family, something which is not surprising considering that his father is a cruel despot who isn’t above threatening Benedict’s mother and sisters in order to keep his heir toeing the line. Fortunately, however, Ms Linden doesn’t stray into Big Misunderstanding territory, and the picture she paints of two people who can’t quite manage to connect properly is a realistic and, at times, poignant one.
Beverley A. Crick narrates both this, and the following and final book in the series (which will be released shortly), and she gives another accomplished and enjoyable performance. Her pacing is excellent in both narrative and dialogue and I really can’t fault her acting choices. I’ve said before that she’s a narrator who acts; laughs, giggles and sighs are incorporated into the characters’ dialogue where indicated, and this is something I particularly enjoy and actually look forward to about her narrations. I know that for some, however, that might sound off-putting, but what she does is not obtrusive or over the top – we’re not in “he laughed, ha, ha!” territory – and I’d definitely encourage anyone on the fence to give her a try. My only real criticism is that her range isn’t particularly large pitch-wise, so if there are more than a couple of male characters of similar age and station in a scene, it isn’t always easy to tell the difference between them. She does, however, differentiate well by means of accent and tone, and does a very good job here in establishing different personas for Penelope, Abigail and their friend Olivia (heroine of the next book) and in distinguishing them from the other ladies who appear in the story.
Caroline Linden is one of my favourite authors and I really hope that more of her books find their way into audio. She writes with a great deal of intelligence and wit, the romance is fully developed and the love scenes are nice and steamy, making Love in the Time of Scandal an absolute treat for anyone who enjoys a well-written historical with a wonderfully sensual love/hate relationship at its heart.
September 13, 2016
I've given this a B+ at AAR, so that's 4.5 stars.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the two previous books in this series, Love and Other Scandals and It Takes a Scandal, I’ve been eagerly looking forward to this latest instalment, which features Penelope Weston and Benedict Lennox, both of whom appeared as secondary characters in the last book. While I enjoyed it very much, it didn’t quite reach DIK territory for me (as the other two did), although I’m not really sure why – it’s just as well written, it uses one of my favourite tropes (compromised-into-marriage) both central characters are well drawn and the hero is drop-dead gorgeous. There is, however, an element of the story that is unresolved at the end – I assume that Ms Linden will be addressing it in a future book – so while Penelope and Ben do get their HEA, perhaps that’s why this one missed the DIK shelf by a gnat’s whisker.
Penelope Weston is lovely, vivacious and outgoing, yet is feeling rather bereft following the recent marriages of her sister, Abigail, and their good friend Joan Bennett. In their absence, she strikes up a friendship with a young debutante, seventeen-year-old Frances Lockwood, and takes her under her wing, as well as maintaining her friendship with the widowed Olivia Townsend, who lives on the fringes of society.
Frances is pretty and has a dowry of twenty-thousand pounds, and Penelope, who is also an heiress, cautions her against falling for a fortune hunter, giving her pointers as to how to spot when a man is truly interested in her rather than just in her money. Lately, however, one particular young man has been paying his addresses to Frances, a very handsome, charming officer in the King’s Life Guards who is the son of an earl and who thus has no need of her money. Penelope thinks he sounds like a promising marriage prospect – until she learns that he is none other than Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton – the man who at one time wanted to marry her sister and who, in the past, treated his former best friend (now her brother-in-law) Sebastian Vane very badly.
She’d seen Atherton’s real measure when he persisted in pursuing her sister, Abigail, even when it was clear Abigail was in love with someone else. She’d known what the viscount really was when she learned he had allowed accusations of murder and theft to endure for years against Sebastian, without speaking a word of support or protest.
At the beginning of their acquaintance, Penelope had been somewhat smitten with Lennox, and the attraction between them had seemed mutual – until Ben offered for Abigail having decided that her quieter, less adventurous nature made her perfect wife material. It’s fairly obvious that Penelope’s intense dislike is due to the fact that she’s still sweet on him, although of course she’d die rather than admit it. For his part, Benedict is still very much affected by Penelope’s beauty and attracted to her quick wit and sharp tongue, but is adamant that he doesn’t want a woman who will challenge him at every step. His life is difficult enough as it is, and he wants a gentle, docile wife who won’t cause him any trouble. He also wants to marry an heiress – as heir to an earl, he stands to inherit a considerable fortune and property, but at present is subject to the whims of his cruel, controlling father, and can only achieve his independence by marrying money.
When Penelope, in trying to help Olivia out of a difficult situation, becomes the subject of some truly vicious gossip, she finds herself facing complete social ruin. Having been present at the incident which caused it (although not responsible), Benedict offers marriage. After all, Penelope also has a large dowry and no matter how hard he tries to ignore it, he’s still strongly attracted to her – and thinks that perhaps he can turn the passion she seems to have been expending on hating him into something much more mutually pleasurable.
Enemies-to-lovers is another favourite trope when it’s done well, and that’s definitely the case here. Benedict and Penelope are perfect for each other and I love stories where it’s evident to everyone except the couple themselves that they’re besotted with each other. It doesn’t take Benedict long to admit that a demure, sensible wife would have bored him silly, or for Penelope to admit that she has misjudged him. The sparks fly whenever they’re together, and in the bedroom they’re explosive. Thanks to her reading of the scandalous pamphlets, 50 Ways to Sin Penelope isn’t afraid to ask for what she wants in bed, something which delights her new husband who is only too happy to indulge her naughtiest whims.
The emotional meat of the story, however, is found in the disclosure of the nature of Benedict’s relationship with his autocratic, unforgiving father, and in the way in which Penelope is able to learn to be less judgemental and more understanding, especially in situations where she doesn’t have all the facts. My heart broke for Benedict several times, in fact, as the truth of his situation came to light. In the last book, it was very clear that his father was a cruel despot who would stop at nothing to bring Ben to heel, including threatening his mother and sisters. Benedict despises himself for being unable to stand up to the Earl as much as he wants to, and truly regrets the way he was forced to act towards Sebastian; so while he wasn’t an especially sympathetic character in the last book, Ms Linden redeems him admirably here, and turns him into a wonderful hero.
Love in the Time of Scandal is an engrossing story that can be read as a standalone, although the other two books are excellent and well worth reading, too. Ms Linden writes with a great deal of wit and intelligence, all the characters are strongly drawn and the central romance is well developed with plenty of sexual tension between the leads and steamy love scenes. As I mentioned above, my one criticism is that there is one particular plot element left unresolved at the end, which I assume will be picked up in a future story, but otherwise, it’s a terrific book and one I’d certainly recommend most highly.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the two previous books in this series, Love and Other Scandals and It Takes a Scandal, I’ve been eagerly looking forward to this latest instalment, which features Penelope Weston and Benedict Lennox, both of whom appeared as secondary characters in the last book. While I enjoyed it very much, it didn’t quite reach DIK territory for me (as the other two did), although I’m not really sure why – it’s just as well written, it uses one of my favourite tropes (compromised-into-marriage) both central characters are well drawn and the hero is drop-dead gorgeous. There is, however, an element of the story that is unresolved at the end – I assume that Ms Linden will be addressing it in a future book – so while Penelope and Ben do get their HEA, perhaps that’s why this one missed the DIK shelf by a gnat’s whisker.
Penelope Weston is lovely, vivacious and outgoing, yet is feeling rather bereft following the recent marriages of her sister, Abigail, and their good friend Joan Bennett. In their absence, she strikes up a friendship with a young debutante, seventeen-year-old Frances Lockwood, and takes her under her wing, as well as maintaining her friendship with the widowed Olivia Townsend, who lives on the fringes of society.
Frances is pretty and has a dowry of twenty-thousand pounds, and Penelope, who is also an heiress, cautions her against falling for a fortune hunter, giving her pointers as to how to spot when a man is truly interested in her rather than just in her money. Lately, however, one particular young man has been paying his addresses to Frances, a very handsome, charming officer in the King’s Life Guards who is the son of an earl and who thus has no need of her money. Penelope thinks he sounds like a promising marriage prospect – until she learns that he is none other than Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton – the man who at one time wanted to marry her sister and who, in the past, treated his former best friend (now her brother-in-law) Sebastian Vane very badly.
She’d seen Atherton’s real measure when he persisted in pursuing her sister, Abigail, even when it was clear Abigail was in love with someone else. She’d known what the viscount really was when she learned he had allowed accusations of murder and theft to endure for years against Sebastian, without speaking a word of support or protest.
At the beginning of their acquaintance, Penelope had been somewhat smitten with Lennox, and the attraction between them had seemed mutual – until Ben offered for Abigail having decided that her quieter, less adventurous nature made her perfect wife material. It’s fairly obvious that Penelope’s intense dislike is due to the fact that she’s still sweet on him, although of course she’d die rather than admit it. For his part, Benedict is still very much affected by Penelope’s beauty and attracted to her quick wit and sharp tongue, but is adamant that he doesn’t want a woman who will challenge him at every step. His life is difficult enough as it is, and he wants a gentle, docile wife who won’t cause him any trouble. He also wants to marry an heiress – as heir to an earl, he stands to inherit a considerable fortune and property, but at present is subject to the whims of his cruel, controlling father, and can only achieve his independence by marrying money.
When Penelope, in trying to help Olivia out of a difficult situation, becomes the subject of some truly vicious gossip, she finds herself facing complete social ruin. Having been present at the incident which caused it (although not responsible), Benedict offers marriage. After all, Penelope also has a large dowry and no matter how hard he tries to ignore it, he’s still strongly attracted to her – and thinks that perhaps he can turn the passion she seems to have been expending on hating him into something much more mutually pleasurable.
Enemies-to-lovers is another favourite trope when it’s done well, and that’s definitely the case here. Benedict and Penelope are perfect for each other and I love stories where it’s evident to everyone except the couple themselves that they’re besotted with each other. It doesn’t take Benedict long to admit that a demure, sensible wife would have bored him silly, or for Penelope to admit that she has misjudged him. The sparks fly whenever they’re together, and in the bedroom they’re explosive. Thanks to her reading of the scandalous pamphlets, 50 Ways to Sin Penelope isn’t afraid to ask for what she wants in bed, something which delights her new husband who is only too happy to indulge her naughtiest whims.
The emotional meat of the story, however, is found in the disclosure of the nature of Benedict’s relationship with his autocratic, unforgiving father, and in the way in which Penelope is able to learn to be less judgemental and more understanding, especially in situations where she doesn’t have all the facts. My heart broke for Benedict several times, in fact, as the truth of his situation came to light. In the last book, it was very clear that his father was a cruel despot who would stop at nothing to bring Ben to heel, including threatening his mother and sisters. Benedict despises himself for being unable to stand up to the Earl as much as he wants to, and truly regrets the way he was forced to act towards Sebastian; so while he wasn’t an especially sympathetic character in the last book, Ms Linden redeems him admirably here, and turns him into a wonderful hero.
Love in the Time of Scandal is an engrossing story that can be read as a standalone, although the other two books are excellent and well worth reading, too. Ms Linden writes with a great deal of wit and intelligence, all the characters are strongly drawn and the central romance is well developed with plenty of sexual tension between the leads and steamy love scenes. As I mentioned above, my one criticism is that there is one particular plot element left unresolved at the end, which I assume will be picked up in a future story, but otherwise, it’s a terrific book and one I’d certainly recommend most highly.
June 27, 2022
Penelope Weston does not like Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton for Reasons, which include his abandonment of a friend in need, his face, and also the fact he opted to court her older sister instead of her. Y'know. Like a dick. So when her name gets dragged through the mud by a creep and Ben proposes—she's hesitant to marry him. Except for the boners and also the feelings.
1. Here's the thing: the fact that Penelope was so clearly mad at Ben for overlooking her when he chose to court Abigail wasn't addressed as directly as I think it should have been. There's the obvious 'Ben wants to marry the antithesis of Penelope' thing and also the 'we hate one another' misunderstanding, which do get a lot of words associated with them—but the obvious (and, from my perspective, more difficult) reason Penelope is not impressed with Ben's sudden attentions never truly gets autopsied in a way that whets my appetite.
2. Ben's kind of a terrible hero in that he has done some terrible things (which he does admit to, sure) but the actual amount of notable change he goes through could be measured by grains of sand. He doesn't grow or truly wrestle with any of his past sins because he does not need to: once he marries Penelope, he's (mostly) content. There are inklings of him reckoning with his historical passive handling of his father, but the climax of that is a one-liner tossed over his shoulder as he rushes to save Penelope from the creep. It's entirely an external conflict and climax: internally, he has traveled nowhere because he doesn't really need to.
I do have to acknowledge Linden's deft handling of an adult who was physical, mentally, and emotionally abused as a child dealing with the complexities of a relationship with said parent once they're adults and "free" of the immediacy of the abuse. ("Free" being a RIDICULOUSLY inaccurate word, obviously.) So Ben's reaction to and realization of that dynamic in his life, I thought, was empathic.
3. Penelope was fine? I mean, she's a boisterous heroine, spunky and bright and all that. I didn't not like her, but I don't necessarily connect with that as directly as other heroines I've read. I did very much appreciate her self-reflection and self-honesty as she grapples with her dislike of Ben and acknowledges what pieces of it are appropriate and what pieces of it might be misplaced. I thought that was well done.
4. I complained about the land thing / Sebastian & Benedict thing in my review of It Takes a Scandal so seeing it resolved here was...fine. I mean, it does kind of undercut that book, slightly, and I'm not sure this book quite earned it since it was so focused on all the angst of Penelope and Ben's relationship instead of the history of Benedict and Sebastian.....which was VERY MUCH THE FOCUS OF IT TAKES A SCANDAL, SO YOU SEE MY POINT.
I dock a star for it, and am pleased I rounded up on that other one. :|
5. CONVENIENT DEATHS FOR EVERYONE ONE.
6. I'm making a note that I wasn't too upset by the obvious set up for Olivia's book. It was there and it was not subtle but I didn't finish this actively rooting against the next couple, so!
1. Here's the thing: the fact that Penelope was so clearly mad at Ben for overlooking her when he chose to court Abigail wasn't addressed as directly as I think it should have been. There's the obvious 'Ben wants to marry the antithesis of Penelope' thing and also the 'we hate one another' misunderstanding, which do get a lot of words associated with them—but the obvious (and, from my perspective, more difficult) reason Penelope is not impressed with Ben's sudden attentions never truly gets autopsied in a way that whets my appetite.
2. Ben's kind of a terrible hero in that he has done some terrible things (which he does admit to, sure) but the actual amount of notable change he goes through could be measured by grains of sand. He doesn't grow or truly wrestle with any of his past sins because he does not need to: once he marries Penelope, he's (mostly) content. There are inklings of him reckoning with his historical passive handling of his father, but the climax of that is a one-liner tossed over his shoulder as he rushes to save Penelope from the creep. It's entirely an external conflict and climax: internally, he has traveled nowhere because he doesn't really need to.
I do have to acknowledge Linden's deft handling of an adult who was physical, mentally, and emotionally abused as a child dealing with the complexities of a relationship with said parent once they're adults and "free" of the immediacy of the abuse. ("Free" being a RIDICULOUSLY inaccurate word, obviously.) So Ben's reaction to and realization of that dynamic in his life, I thought, was empathic.
3. Penelope was fine? I mean, she's a boisterous heroine, spunky and bright and all that. I didn't not like her, but I don't necessarily connect with that as directly as other heroines I've read. I did very much appreciate her self-reflection and self-honesty as she grapples with her dislike of Ben and acknowledges what pieces of it are appropriate and what pieces of it might be misplaced. I thought that was well done.
4. I complained about the land thing / Sebastian & Benedict thing in my review of It Takes a Scandal so seeing it resolved here was...fine. I mean, it does kind of undercut that book, slightly, and I'm not sure this book quite earned it since it was so focused on all the angst of Penelope and Ben's relationship instead of the history of Benedict and Sebastian.....which was VERY MUCH THE FOCUS OF IT TAKES A SCANDAL, SO YOU SEE MY POINT.
I dock a star for it, and am pleased I rounded up on that other one. :|
5. CONVENIENT DEATHS FOR EVERYONE ONE.
6. I'm making a note that I wasn't too upset by the obvious set up for Olivia's book. It was there and it was not subtle but I didn't finish this actively rooting against the next couple, so!
May 15, 2019
Benedict is a wonderful flawed hero. He is not always brave, he hesitates, he makes bad decisions and all that just makes him more adorable and real. Penelope is so fierce and loyal, it hurts to see how much she wishes to be like her sister when she is so special just being herself.
I've started the series by this book (book 3) and now I can't wait to read all the others.
The audio version was good and I enjoyed this book immensely!
I've started the series by this book (book 3) and now I can't wait to read all the others.
The audio version was good and I enjoyed this book immensely!
April 3, 2017
Oooooh this was soooo good!!!!! Loved Penelope and even Benedict grew on me.
December 11, 2021
3.5 stars. I thought the last 25% dragged on for too long but the ending picked up with drama that intrigued me. I really enjoyed this one because our characters got married fairly early on and they are a super duper realistic couple that talks about finances and trust and friends.
June 8, 2015
Secondary Character-o-sis strikes again!
I believe it must have been time for authors to drink at the same watering hole again. Once more we have characters who were secondary characters in previous books and now it's their turn and they don't live up to the promise that was shown in the previous book. Not only do they not quite live up to what I was expecting, but one of them, Penelope, is a really immature fishwife who I wanted to reach into the book and bop a few times. I often found myself feeling quite sorry for poor ol' Atherton. By the way, Atherton made medical history - he is one of the few heroes who has a wet noodle for a backbone.
Now, it isn't his fault he has a wet noodle instead of bone. He has a horrible horrible horrible father. This father abuses his entire family - wife - daughters - son. Not just physical abuse, but psychological abuse as well. So, our hero is a pretty damaged guy. For the most part the wet-noodlism isn't because he's a coward. No, he does a lot of backing down and kissing of feet to protect those who cannot protect themselves. He actually could have been a decent hero if his harpy of a heroine hadn't made him look so bad. 'Cause we can't have our heroes ripping into our heroines anymore - that was old school romance. But if Atherton had attended the Steve Morgan School for Romance Heroes he would have smacked Penelope, then vamoosed to the arms of his mistress. But, twas not to be. Sigh.
Penelope. What a stubborn, blinders-on type of woman. She is the kind of person who sticks their fingers in their ears and sings la la la la just so she cannot hear what someone is saying. She does that to Atherton over and over and over. When he explains things to her, she doesn't accept what he's saying, she always wants more. When he tells her why he did some of the things he did in the past - la la la la. When he tells her about his father - la la la la. My mother is this way because - la la la la. My sister did this because - la la la la. For once we have a hero who talks, tells secrets, tells what is making him tick - la la la la. It doesn't matter what he says - it's just never enough for this sullen, cranky, griping, petulant Penelope. There was one moment when she finally stood up for the hero. The scene between her and his father was great, but it was not soon enough. There wasn't any point in this story that I ever felt Penelope was going to ever stop haranguing Atherton. Oh sure, they confessed their love for each other, but all I could see for ol' Atherton was a future with a tyrannical wife.
Dissolution of villains. Spoilers! Nothing like a surprise heart attack to solve everyone's problem. One moment you're there blackmailing, threatening, abusing and the next moment someone else says you had a heart attack and you are dead. And, we the readers don't even get to see you keel over - no we get to find out the same way the hero and heroine do - a servant tells all of us. But, there are two villains in this book and the other one disappears. I'm assuming he will show up in the next book. Hopefully, we get to see his demise.
I was disappoint with Love in the Time of Scandal. I loved the other two books in the series and was expecting the same with this - twas not to be. Maybe next time. Maybe next time I'll like the heroine - la la la la.
KaysBlog
I believe it must have been time for authors to drink at the same watering hole again. Once more we have characters who were secondary characters in previous books and now it's their turn and they don't live up to the promise that was shown in the previous book. Not only do they not quite live up to what I was expecting, but one of them, Penelope, is a really immature fishwife who I wanted to reach into the book and bop a few times. I often found myself feeling quite sorry for poor ol' Atherton. By the way, Atherton made medical history - he is one of the few heroes who has a wet noodle for a backbone.
Now, it isn't his fault he has a wet noodle instead of bone. He has a horrible horrible horrible father. This father abuses his entire family - wife - daughters - son. Not just physical abuse, but psychological abuse as well. So, our hero is a pretty damaged guy. For the most part the wet-noodlism isn't because he's a coward. No, he does a lot of backing down and kissing of feet to protect those who cannot protect themselves. He actually could have been a decent hero if his harpy of a heroine hadn't made him look so bad. 'Cause we can't have our heroes ripping into our heroines anymore - that was old school romance. But if Atherton had attended the Steve Morgan School for Romance Heroes he would have smacked Penelope, then vamoosed to the arms of his mistress. But, twas not to be. Sigh.
Penelope. What a stubborn, blinders-on type of woman. She is the kind of person who sticks their fingers in their ears and sings la la la la just so she cannot hear what someone is saying. She does that to Atherton over and over and over. When he explains things to her, she doesn't accept what he's saying, she always wants more. When he tells her why he did some of the things he did in the past - la la la la. When he tells her about his father - la la la la. My mother is this way because - la la la la. My sister did this because - la la la la. For once we have a hero who talks, tells secrets, tells what is making him tick - la la la la. It doesn't matter what he says - it's just never enough for this sullen, cranky, griping, petulant Penelope. There was one moment when she finally stood up for the hero. The scene between her and his father was great, but it was not soon enough. There wasn't any point in this story that I ever felt Penelope was going to ever stop haranguing Atherton. Oh sure, they confessed their love for each other, but all I could see for ol' Atherton was a future with a tyrannical wife.
Dissolution of villains. Spoilers! Nothing like a surprise heart attack to solve everyone's problem. One moment you're there blackmailing, threatening, abusing and the next moment someone else says you had a heart attack and you are dead. And, we the readers don't even get to see you keel over - no we get to find out the same way the hero and heroine do - a servant tells all of us. But, there are two villains in this book and the other one disappears. I'm assuming he will show up in the next book. Hopefully, we get to see his demise.
I was disappoint with Love in the Time of Scandal. I loved the other two books in the series and was expecting the same with this - twas not to be. Maybe next time. Maybe next time I'll like the heroine - la la la la.
KaysBlog
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2021
The Villains were vile
Good read . There are two villains that are pretty nasty and the mystery in the story is a cliffhanger, not the romance but what is going on with her friend and why is everyone after her. I did start the series in the middle though , so that might be part of it. I did like the two main characters but the heroine annoyed me. She should have told the H and not make everything a big misunderstanding. His Father was an awful person. There's a scene while they are in a yacht that was chilling to me and I was flooded. But one of the villains was dispatched way too easily.
Good read . There are two villains that are pretty nasty and the mystery in the story is a cliffhanger, not the romance but what is going on with her friend and why is everyone after her. I did start the series in the middle though , so that might be part of it. I did like the two main characters but the heroine annoyed me. She should have told the H and not make everything a big misunderstanding. His Father was an awful person. There's a scene while they are in a yacht that was chilling to me and I was flooded. But one of the villains was dispatched way too easily.
May 31, 2024
I didn't like Benedict in the previous book (Scandalous #2) but in this one he went far towards redeeming himself, and Penelope was a strong FMC.
Benedict's father is still the worst!
Benedict's father is still the worst!
July 2, 2015
Caroline Linden just keeps getting better and better. I'm just waiting for the day when other romance readers finally see what I do. I've enjoyed this Scandals series which I'm sure you can guess, centers around an erotic book and any number of society scandals. I highly recommend that you read these books in order since there is a lot of overlap and you will enjoy it more if you know the backstory.
In Love in the Time of Scandal, it is Penelope and Benedict's turn to find love. It is not an easy journey. Penelope is the younger sister of Abigail. Unlike her sister, Penelope is outspoken, opinionated, vivacious, and adventurous, while Abigail is quieter, more thoughtful, and more sedate. In the previous book in this series, which is Abigail and Sebastian Vane's story (my least favorite of the series), we find out that Benedict, an Earl's son, was childhood friends with Sebastian, but did not defend him when ugly rumors surface. Penelope, being a very loyal person, cannot forgive Benedict for his seemingly callous behavior toward his friend and grows to dislike him. This is where the story opens.
When I read the previous books in this series, I knew there was more to Benedict than met the eye. I couldn't wait for his story. Benedict's father, the earl, abused Benedict and his family which had driven much of his behavior. Some readers thought Benedict was weak, but knowing the time period and reading about how he charted his own course to gain freedom from his father's tyranny and even trying to reconcile for the sake of his wife, made me adore him. Despite Benedict's charm, good looks, and wealth, he did not have it easy. And despite his father, Benedict was of an easy temper, optimistic about his future, protective of his mother and sisters, and patient with a sometimes mulish Penelope. He was also very, very sexy. There were more sex scenes in this book than some of the others, but it fit well with the development of Penelope and Benedict's relationship, which started off as a serious attraction to each other despite their arguments. And I could definitely understand Penelope's attraction to Benedict. His appeal leapt of the pages and like Penelope, I couldn't get enough of him!
Now, this story has a "forced marriage" storyline where Benedict and Penelope are brought together due to misunderstandings and an ugly rumor. I thought there were alternatives, but this was definitely the course of action that had the highest likelihood of happiness. To be honest, with how Penelope had treated him, I was surprised Benedict took a chance on her! But I'm glad he did and most of the book gives you a view of how distrust melts to friendship and then fires up to love. It was fun to see them explore each other.
Now, Penelope was a little difficult to like. I liked her loyalty and her verve, but it drove me nuts that she could not empathize/try to understand what Benedict had gone through. It took quite a lot of drama for her to finally understand what Benedict had tried to explain about his father. However, I have to give it to her, when she finally does see how wrong she was, she has no problem admitting it and that is where she redeemed herself. Her fire and lack of fear are what attracted Benedict to her,but it also is what got her in trouble. As this is a romance novel, it all works out though :)
Caroline Linden is an author who often surprises me. This book did not play out how I expected at all. At first I was disappointed. There is no big show down between the earl and Penelope. There is no dramatic physical altercation between the earl and Benedict. But now that I've read it, I believe that Linden did it right. It was true to the time period and true to how I think things would really go down instead of how I wish they would. Now, there is one event that makes this ending seem too easy, but nevertheless, I'm still glad it happened because now everyone can breathe quite a bit easier.
I'm now looking forward to the final book in this series, which I have a strong feeling will center around Penelope's friend Olivia Townsend and Penelope's brother James Weston. The plot thread with these characters in this book was left wide open and I think the next book will have a lot of drama, intrigue, and healing. I can't wait!
In Love in the Time of Scandal, it is Penelope and Benedict's turn to find love. It is not an easy journey. Penelope is the younger sister of Abigail. Unlike her sister, Penelope is outspoken, opinionated, vivacious, and adventurous, while Abigail is quieter, more thoughtful, and more sedate. In the previous book in this series, which is Abigail and Sebastian Vane's story (my least favorite of the series), we find out that Benedict, an Earl's son, was childhood friends with Sebastian, but did not defend him when ugly rumors surface. Penelope, being a very loyal person, cannot forgive Benedict for his seemingly callous behavior toward his friend and grows to dislike him. This is where the story opens.
When I read the previous books in this series, I knew there was more to Benedict than met the eye. I couldn't wait for his story. Benedict's father, the earl, abused Benedict and his family which had driven much of his behavior. Some readers thought Benedict was weak, but knowing the time period and reading about how he charted his own course to gain freedom from his father's tyranny and even trying to reconcile for the sake of his wife, made me adore him. Despite Benedict's charm, good looks, and wealth, he did not have it easy. And despite his father, Benedict was of an easy temper, optimistic about his future, protective of his mother and sisters, and patient with a sometimes mulish Penelope. He was also very, very sexy. There were more sex scenes in this book than some of the others, but it fit well with the development of Penelope and Benedict's relationship, which started off as a serious attraction to each other despite their arguments. And I could definitely understand Penelope's attraction to Benedict. His appeal leapt of the pages and like Penelope, I couldn't get enough of him!
Now, this story has a "forced marriage" storyline where Benedict and Penelope are brought together due to misunderstandings and an ugly rumor. I thought there were alternatives, but this was definitely the course of action that had the highest likelihood of happiness. To be honest, with how Penelope had treated him, I was surprised Benedict took a chance on her! But I'm glad he did and most of the book gives you a view of how distrust melts to friendship and then fires up to love. It was fun to see them explore each other.
Now, Penelope was a little difficult to like. I liked her loyalty and her verve, but it drove me nuts that she could not empathize/try to understand what Benedict had gone through. It took quite a lot of drama for her to finally understand what Benedict had tried to explain about his father. However, I have to give it to her, when she finally does see how wrong she was, she has no problem admitting it and that is where she redeemed herself. Her fire and lack of fear are what attracted Benedict to her,but it also is what got her in trouble. As this is a romance novel, it all works out though :)
Caroline Linden is an author who often surprises me. This book did not play out how I expected at all. At first I was disappointed. There is no big show down between the earl and Penelope. There is no dramatic physical altercation between the earl and Benedict. But now that I've read it, I believe that Linden did it right. It was true to the time period and true to how I think things would really go down instead of how I wish they would. Now, there is one event that makes this ending seem too easy, but nevertheless, I'm still glad it happened because now everyone can breathe quite a bit easier.
I'm now looking forward to the final book in this series, which I have a strong feeling will center around Penelope's friend Olivia Townsend and Penelope's brother James Weston. The plot thread with these characters in this book was left wide open and I think the next book will have a lot of drama, intrigue, and healing. I can't wait!
May 28, 2015
Penelope Weston has definite opinions about marriage, most importantly that it should include love and passion, and never be a matter of convenience. When a friend confesses that Benedict Lennox is courting her, Pen urges her to be sure that her potential husband feels a genuine regard for her. Pen has a particular dislike for Benedict, Lord Atherton, although that wasn’t always the case. When they first met, Pen was quite taken with him, and they got along very well. Then Ben decided to court Pen’s sister, Abigail. While at first suffering her own disappointment that he didn’t choose to court her, she then becomes aware of some serious character flaws. He is decidedly under his father’s thumb, and made no effort to stand up for a friend who was falsely accused of a crime. Pen’s regard turned to scorn and disdain, and she was happy that her sister chose to marry someone else.
No one outside his immediate family knows the extent of Ben’s father’s cruelty. As a child, Ben suffered countless beatings, food deprivation, and other punishments. He also took the blame for many things not his fault to protect his mother and sisters. Now as an adult, Ben no longer has to take the beatings, but his father still plays cruel games to control him. He controls all the money, and sometimes chooses to cut Ben off without a cent, or banishes him so he can’t visit his mother. Ben will be wealthy when his father dies, but until then, he is helpless. So, he decides to marry. An heiress will allow him to live independently of his father, and never have to see him. He also wants a sweet tempered girl, who won’t create drama in his life. His courtship of Abigail wasn’t successful when she chose another, and now it appears his courtship of Frances will fail because of the ideas planted in her mind by Penelope Weston. Ben doesn’t really understand why Pen dislikes him so much now, when they got along famously at the start. Ben only chose to court her sister Abigail instead because she was a much gentler, amiable lady, and Ben thought she fit his dream of a peaceful life.
When a twist of fate puts Penelope’s reputation at serious risk, Ben has the opportunity to save it by offering marriage. While Pen is fiery and passionate, she is still a great heiress, and can give Ben his freedom from his father. Pen is at first reluctant, but surprisingly, it’s Ben’s seductive wooing that wins her over. So they are married.
Pen has been a devoted reader of the scandalous series, 50 Ways to Sin, and she is eager to learn about physical pleasure. Ben is just as eager to experience pleasure with Pen, and their marriage starts off on a scorching high. Unfortunately all their time isn’t spent in the bedroom, and they are not so compatible in other ways. They have to come to terms with everyday life, and their differences from each other. In addition, to this, they have to deal with unexpected danger, and Ben’s father, who doesn’t want to stay out of the picture.
Ben is a good man who has suffered greatly due to his father. It’s a credit to his own strong character that he grew up determined to be a totally different kind of man. I admired his ability to still show kindness and humor despite everything he endured. Once Pen realizes the way things were, she is quick to change her tune and support her husband. Their journey from convenience to passion to love was a lovely one to read. Both Pen and Ben are admirable and likeable characters. This book has a little bit of everything – action, mystery, passion, and, of course, love. It’s very well written, and flows along so smoothly and quickly, that I was finished before I knew it. LOVE IN THE TIME OF SCANDAL can be read as a standalone, but reading It Takes A Scandal (Abigail’s story) will give much more background. I enjoyed this one very much, and highly recommend it.
From Roses Are Blue http://t.co/XS4J7Atvns
No one outside his immediate family knows the extent of Ben’s father’s cruelty. As a child, Ben suffered countless beatings, food deprivation, and other punishments. He also took the blame for many things not his fault to protect his mother and sisters. Now as an adult, Ben no longer has to take the beatings, but his father still plays cruel games to control him. He controls all the money, and sometimes chooses to cut Ben off without a cent, or banishes him so he can’t visit his mother. Ben will be wealthy when his father dies, but until then, he is helpless. So, he decides to marry. An heiress will allow him to live independently of his father, and never have to see him. He also wants a sweet tempered girl, who won’t create drama in his life. His courtship of Abigail wasn’t successful when she chose another, and now it appears his courtship of Frances will fail because of the ideas planted in her mind by Penelope Weston. Ben doesn’t really understand why Pen dislikes him so much now, when they got along famously at the start. Ben only chose to court her sister Abigail instead because she was a much gentler, amiable lady, and Ben thought she fit his dream of a peaceful life.
When a twist of fate puts Penelope’s reputation at serious risk, Ben has the opportunity to save it by offering marriage. While Pen is fiery and passionate, she is still a great heiress, and can give Ben his freedom from his father. Pen is at first reluctant, but surprisingly, it’s Ben’s seductive wooing that wins her over. So they are married.
Pen has been a devoted reader of the scandalous series, 50 Ways to Sin, and she is eager to learn about physical pleasure. Ben is just as eager to experience pleasure with Pen, and their marriage starts off on a scorching high. Unfortunately all their time isn’t spent in the bedroom, and they are not so compatible in other ways. They have to come to terms with everyday life, and their differences from each other. In addition, to this, they have to deal with unexpected danger, and Ben’s father, who doesn’t want to stay out of the picture.
Ben is a good man who has suffered greatly due to his father. It’s a credit to his own strong character that he grew up determined to be a totally different kind of man. I admired his ability to still show kindness and humor despite everything he endured. Once Pen realizes the way things were, she is quick to change her tune and support her husband. Their journey from convenience to passion to love was a lovely one to read. Both Pen and Ben are admirable and likeable characters. This book has a little bit of everything – action, mystery, passion, and, of course, love. It’s very well written, and flows along so smoothly and quickly, that I was finished before I knew it. LOVE IN THE TIME OF SCANDAL can be read as a standalone, but reading It Takes A Scandal (Abigail’s story) will give much more background. I enjoyed this one very much, and highly recommend it.
From Roses Are Blue http://t.co/XS4J7Atvns
April 3, 2019
So I came away from this book not hating Benedict as much as I did in Abigail and Sebastian’s book and for that alone Caroline Linden deserves all the praise. But it was Penelope and the amazing love scenes that were the true highlights for me in this otherwise average romance.
March 22, 2020
4.5 stars! Didn’t think she would be able to redeem Benedict... but she did!
October 9, 2020
Love in the Time of Scandal
4.5 stars
When a good friend extolls the virtues of Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton, Penelope Weston feels compelled to warn her that the handsome and charming viscount has some very serious flaws indeed. Benedict is not impressed with Penelope's interference, but his attempt to confront her soon leads to scandal. Soon the two find themselves wed against their will. Can their attraction for one another overcome their differences or is their marriage doomed from the start?
Series note: The reasons for Penelope and Atherton's animosity are established in the previous book. Therefore, it is recommended that the books be read in order.
As a fan of love/hate relationships, I am often disappointed when the romance does not live up to the potential established in earlier books. This is not one of those instances as Penelope and Benedict's chemistry is off the charts. This may be due to the fact that their interactions in the previous installment were minor and there was little indication of their attraction. Consequently, their encounters here are much more potent and intense.
Following the events of book #2, Benedict's character left much to be desired, but Linden manages to redeem him quite successfully. It is always entertaining when a reserved and stoic hero meets his match in the hellion heroine, and Penelope is nothing if not wild and passionate. It was wonderful watching them working together to make the best of their situation without any unnecessary angst.
All in all, this is the best book in the series so far and I look forward to Olivia and Jamie's book next. It will be interesting to see how the mystery surrounding her plays out.
4.5 stars
When a good friend extolls the virtues of Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton, Penelope Weston feels compelled to warn her that the handsome and charming viscount has some very serious flaws indeed. Benedict is not impressed with Penelope's interference, but his attempt to confront her soon leads to scandal. Soon the two find themselves wed against their will. Can their attraction for one another overcome their differences or is their marriage doomed from the start?
Series note: The reasons for Penelope and Atherton's animosity are established in the previous book. Therefore, it is recommended that the books be read in order.
As a fan of love/hate relationships, I am often disappointed when the romance does not live up to the potential established in earlier books. This is not one of those instances as Penelope and Benedict's chemistry is off the charts. This may be due to the fact that their interactions in the previous installment were minor and there was little indication of their attraction. Consequently, their encounters here are much more potent and intense.
Following the events of book #2, Benedict's character left much to be desired, but Linden manages to redeem him quite successfully. It is always entertaining when a reserved and stoic hero meets his match in the hellion heroine, and Penelope is nothing if not wild and passionate. It was wonderful watching them working together to make the best of their situation without any unnecessary angst.
All in all, this is the best book in the series so far and I look forward to Olivia and Jamie's book next. It will be interesting to see how the mystery surrounding her plays out.
May 13, 2022
So, there are two ways of looking at this book.
The first is as a standalone story, without taking the rest of the series into account, this book is fine. As a standalone story, it's probably a three star read with a bit too much drama at the very beginning (the whole Frances Lockwood subplot did not reflect well on Penelope in particular and reinforced her character as someone with a habit of being impulsive and careless) and definitely at the end. There was also way too much focus on comparing the two sisters, with only feisty, spirited, fun Penelope able to stand up to people and worthy of passion, as opposed to it just being a matter of attraction is a personal thing! But marriage of convenience is one of my very favorite tropes, so when I picked out this series to read, I was excited about this book in particular. The basics of the story can and should work! In another story, they would have!
But they don't here, not really, because when you take this story in the context of the series as a whole, it comes off very badly. Some abbreviated thoughts:
-A lot of the issues with this book stem from having not dealt with them in the previous book, when they originally should have been dealt with.
-Benedict was the main problem here. A lot of his behavior before and during book two was retconned and excused too easily. I even feel for him, because his dad was genuinely evil, but that does not excuse him the numerous things he did wrong. And this book seemed to basically say "nah it's fine, his behavior was actually good."
-In this book, Abigail defends Benedict, saying that he was extremely helpful in finding the stolen money, in letting Samantha tell the truth, and in forcing the earl to write the letter clearing Sebastian's name. But that's not what happened! Penelope had to bribe Benedict into helping (and Benedict goes on in this book to admit that he needed to be bribed into it, even though he was feeling guilty). And in Samantha's novella, it's Samantha (who btw was the one person who canonically defended Sebastian all those years!!) who tells her father the truth over Sebastian's objection. Thanks for sending the letter, Benedict. It's the literal least you could do!
-For all that we spend most of the book hearing about how Sebastian forgave Benedict for everything, we don't see it on the page until the very end of this book. But it should have already happened by this book, and not seeing it on page until the very end here completely negates all the times the book characters swear it already happened! (As does Benedict's attitude about all this, see below.)
-The point at which Benedict is explaining ~his side of the story~ to Penelope and is annoyed that she isn't suddenly taking his side was so bad. First and foremost, the "he abandoned me first" stuff was ridiculous! Benedict grew up the heir to an earldom, and no matter how eligible Sebastian was considered in their youth, his situation was obviously less stable in the long term, as evidenced by what actually happened in the story. By virtue of their different positions in society, of course Sebastian and Benedict would have different paths! Benedict trying to blame everything on Sebastian reacting badly was extremely cowardly. Benedict came up with a plan to get himself out from under his father's thumb and a plan to rescue Penelope's reputation, but he couldn't, in the years since Sebastian's return while living in London away from his father, find any way to help his supposed best friend???? Nonsense. At the very least, he could have quietly sent word to Sebastian that eventually when he inherited, he'd sell back the land for what his father paid for it. (And yes, I know that happened in the epilogue of this book, but the idea seemingly not occurring to anyone until that point is the problem here. Slow clap for Benedict. Once again, the literal least you could do, buddy.) Ultimately that was the problem with Benedict. He was a pretty weak hero.
-How was Abigail just free to come to London when Penelope sent for her??? What is Abigail and Sebastian's situation around Richmond???? Is Sebastian still an outcast???? These questions never actually got answered in book two, which is a book two problem primarily but carry over into book three, since book three attempted (badly) to fix the Sebastian and Benedict backstory.
The worst part of all this is with a few plot tweaks, both this book and the previous one could've been great. But instead, we had a whole bunch of drama, and ended up with two very poor books for very different reasons. I'm giving this book two stars for now, but I may end up revising it down. This was really a giant mess, and it didn't need to be.
5/12/22 Edit: This is a book that I have thought about time and time again in the past year for how mad it made me. Kris reading this series reminded me again, and you know what, the fact that I still think about how terribly this was all handled means this book gets a place on my shelf of shame.
The first is as a standalone story, without taking the rest of the series into account, this book is fine. As a standalone story, it's probably a three star read with a bit too much drama at the very beginning (the whole Frances Lockwood subplot did not reflect well on Penelope in particular and reinforced her character as someone with a habit of being impulsive and careless) and definitely at the end. There was also way too much focus on comparing the two sisters, with only feisty, spirited, fun Penelope able to stand up to people and worthy of passion, as opposed to it just being a matter of attraction is a personal thing! But marriage of convenience is one of my very favorite tropes, so when I picked out this series to read, I was excited about this book in particular. The basics of the story can and should work! In another story, they would have!
But they don't here, not really, because when you take this story in the context of the series as a whole, it comes off very badly. Some abbreviated thoughts:
-A lot of the issues with this book stem from having not dealt with them in the previous book, when they originally should have been dealt with.
-Benedict was the main problem here. A lot of his behavior before and during book two was retconned and excused too easily. I even feel for him, because his dad was genuinely evil, but that does not excuse him the numerous things he did wrong. And this book seemed to basically say "nah it's fine, his behavior was actually good."
-In this book, Abigail defends Benedict, saying that he was extremely helpful in finding the stolen money, in letting Samantha tell the truth, and in forcing the earl to write the letter clearing Sebastian's name. But that's not what happened! Penelope had to bribe Benedict into helping (and Benedict goes on in this book to admit that he needed to be bribed into it, even though he was feeling guilty). And in Samantha's novella, it's Samantha (who btw was the one person who canonically defended Sebastian all those years!!) who tells her father the truth over Sebastian's objection. Thanks for sending the letter, Benedict. It's the literal least you could do!
-For all that we spend most of the book hearing about how Sebastian forgave Benedict for everything, we don't see it on the page until the very end of this book. But it should have already happened by this book, and not seeing it on page until the very end here completely negates all the times the book characters swear it already happened! (As does Benedict's attitude about all this, see below.)
-The point at which Benedict is explaining ~his side of the story~ to Penelope and is annoyed that she isn't suddenly taking his side was so bad. First and foremost, the "he abandoned me first" stuff was ridiculous! Benedict grew up the heir to an earldom, and no matter how eligible Sebastian was considered in their youth, his situation was obviously less stable in the long term, as evidenced by what actually happened in the story. By virtue of their different positions in society, of course Sebastian and Benedict would have different paths! Benedict trying to blame everything on Sebastian reacting badly was extremely cowardly. Benedict came up with a plan to get himself out from under his father's thumb and a plan to rescue Penelope's reputation, but he couldn't, in the years since Sebastian's return while living in London away from his father, find any way to help his supposed best friend???? Nonsense. At the very least, he could have quietly sent word to Sebastian that eventually when he inherited, he'd sell back the land for what his father paid for it. (And yes, I know that happened in the epilogue of this book, but the idea seemingly not occurring to anyone until that point is the problem here. Slow clap for Benedict. Once again, the literal least you could do, buddy.) Ultimately that was the problem with Benedict. He was a pretty weak hero.
-How was Abigail just free to come to London when Penelope sent for her??? What is Abigail and Sebastian's situation around Richmond???? Is Sebastian still an outcast???? These questions never actually got answered in book two, which is a book two problem primarily but carry over into book three, since book three attempted (badly) to fix the Sebastian and Benedict backstory.
The worst part of all this is with a few plot tweaks, both this book and the previous one could've been great. But instead, we had a whole bunch of drama, and ended up with two very poor books for very different reasons. I'm giving this book two stars for now, but I may end up revising it down. This was really a giant mess, and it didn't need to be.
5/12/22 Edit: This is a book that I have thought about time and time again in the past year for how mad it made me. Kris reading this series reminded me again, and you know what, the fact that I still think about how terribly this was all handled means this book gets a place on my shelf of shame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2015
I was so happy to find out that ‘Love in the Time of Scandal’ featured Abigail’s sister and Sebastian’s best friend from ‘It Takes a Scandal’. If you’ve not read that one, please get it. Your reading experience of this tale will be doubled. I promise!
You see, when we met Benedict Lennox, the hero of this tale in the story of his best friend, he was courting that friend’s girl, and he lost her. And in this tale, he’s now courting another young lady, but Abigail’s sister, Penelope is once more meddling in his love life.
I have to say that I adored both characters only because they were flawed. Neither was perfect and both were so very human.
Benedict, on the surface, has everything. His good looks and charm are obvious, and a future hair of an Earldom is a plus, yet this man has had a very tough upbringing. His childhood is just heartbreaking to read about. It has been a ‘mill stone’ around his neck for a long time and the only way to get rid of that would be for him to wed an heiress, preferably a biddable one.
Penelope Weston is young, bold and outspoken and she’s close to being labeled a spinster very soon. She’s feeling a bit lonely this season as her best friend and her sister have just gotten hitched, so now she’s wilting away in ballrooms, hoping she might meet someone special too.
Never in a million years would these two wish to become each other’s significant other, yet they’re both drawn by circumstances into each other’s orbit once more.
And while to some Penelope may have come off as shrewish and too outspoken and judgmental, I gave her a benefit of the doubt her character deserved. Trust me, if you stick with her, she’ll surprise you and you’ll love her in the end.
As for our hero, Benedict, I can say the same. He was stubborn and austere at times, yet once you get inside of his head, you’ll know why he’s like that and you’ll start to like him and in the end you’ll love him as much as his Penelope does.
I just adored this story! Everything within it is perfect. It made me cry, laugh and sigh. Pace, plot, dialogue and most of all romance mixed with such sensuality that you may fog your reading glasses. It’s not only that this book is a must read, it’s this whole series that you must buy!
Melanie for b2b
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
You see, when we met Benedict Lennox, the hero of this tale in the story of his best friend, he was courting that friend’s girl, and he lost her. And in this tale, he’s now courting another young lady, but Abigail’s sister, Penelope is once more meddling in his love life.
I have to say that I adored both characters only because they were flawed. Neither was perfect and both were so very human.
Benedict, on the surface, has everything. His good looks and charm are obvious, and a future hair of an Earldom is a plus, yet this man has had a very tough upbringing. His childhood is just heartbreaking to read about. It has been a ‘mill stone’ around his neck for a long time and the only way to get rid of that would be for him to wed an heiress, preferably a biddable one.
Penelope Weston is young, bold and outspoken and she’s close to being labeled a spinster very soon. She’s feeling a bit lonely this season as her best friend and her sister have just gotten hitched, so now she’s wilting away in ballrooms, hoping she might meet someone special too.
Never in a million years would these two wish to become each other’s significant other, yet they’re both drawn by circumstances into each other’s orbit once more.
And while to some Penelope may have come off as shrewish and too outspoken and judgmental, I gave her a benefit of the doubt her character deserved. Trust me, if you stick with her, she’ll surprise you and you’ll love her in the end.
As for our hero, Benedict, I can say the same. He was stubborn and austere at times, yet once you get inside of his head, you’ll know why he’s like that and you’ll start to like him and in the end you’ll love him as much as his Penelope does.
I just adored this story! Everything within it is perfect. It made me cry, laugh and sigh. Pace, plot, dialogue and most of all romance mixed with such sensuality that you may fog your reading glasses. It’s not only that this book is a must read, it’s this whole series that you must buy!
Melanie for b2b
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher
January 10, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. Love in the Time of Scandal had sweet romance, quite a bit of scandal, and a couple of thrills along the way. I thought it was a lovely read.
Penelope, to be honest, didn't make the best first impression. She came off as extremely shrewish to the point where I took an immediate dislike to her. I didn't like how judgmental she was of others and how she worked so hard to be mean to Benedict. But, slowly, she started to grow on me, as I saw the kinder side of her. There was no denying that she was a fiercely loyal friend and would do anything for her loved ones. What really made me like her, though, was that she got off her high horse, realized that she had been unfair, and made a conscious decision to be more understanding of people, even admitting that she didn't always know what was best, nor what was going on in someone's life to make them act a certain way. So, by the end, she had earned my respect and I liked her.
Benedict was an easier character to like. He was always a gentleman and also a sweetie when times called for it. He made mistakes, mostly due to his wariness of his cruel father, but he admitted them and regretted them. I thought he was a wonderful hero.
The romance was lovely. Despite the tension between them in the beginning, it was obvious to everyone but them that they were smitten with each other. And, once they (or, really, Penelope) were no longer actively trying to be enemies, a deeper relationship started to grow. And, they definitely had enough chemistry together to turn up the heat.
The plot moved quickly, despite a slower start, and kept me interested all the way through. I really enjoyed the story and the ending was perfect.
Love in the Time of Scandal was a lovely historical romance that I enjoyed. Romance lovers, you might want to check this book out.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Penelope, to be honest, didn't make the best first impression. She came off as extremely shrewish to the point where I took an immediate dislike to her. I didn't like how judgmental she was of others and how she worked so hard to be mean to Benedict. But, slowly, she started to grow on me, as I saw the kinder side of her. There was no denying that she was a fiercely loyal friend and would do anything for her loved ones. What really made me like her, though, was that she got off her high horse, realized that she had been unfair, and made a conscious decision to be more understanding of people, even admitting that she didn't always know what was best, nor what was going on in someone's life to make them act a certain way. So, by the end, she had earned my respect and I liked her.
Benedict was an easier character to like. He was always a gentleman and also a sweetie when times called for it. He made mistakes, mostly due to his wariness of his cruel father, but he admitted them and regretted them. I thought he was a wonderful hero.
The romance was lovely. Despite the tension between them in the beginning, it was obvious to everyone but them that they were smitten with each other. And, once they (or, really, Penelope) were no longer actively trying to be enemies, a deeper relationship started to grow. And, they definitely had enough chemistry together to turn up the heat.
The plot moved quickly, despite a slower start, and kept me interested all the way through. I really enjoyed the story and the ending was perfect.
Love in the Time of Scandal was a lovely historical romance that I enjoyed. Romance lovers, you might want to check this book out.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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